Draft:Karam Shaar

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Karam Shaar is a Syrian-born political economist and consultant known for his work on Syria's political economy.[1][2]

Early Life and Education

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Karam Shaar hails from Aleppo, Syria.[3] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Aleppo and a Master of Science from University Putra Malaysia. He later obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.[4][5]

Career

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After relocating to New Zealand in 2016, Shaar held positions as a Senior Analyst at the New Zealand Treasury and as a Senior Lecturer on Middle East politics at Massey University. He also served as the Research Director at the Operations and Policy Center[6], focusing on Syria's political economy.[1][7][8]

In 2020, Shaar co-founded the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks (OPEN), aiming to shed light on Syria's regime networks through data analysis. His research has been published by institutions such as the Middle East Institute, Foreign Policy, the Carnegie Foundation, The Guardian, the Brookings Institution, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.[4][9][10]

In April 2025 United Nations appointed Shaar as Chief Economic Consultant to the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Syria.[11]

Contributions to Syrian Political Economy

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Shaar played a pivotal role in analyzing the economic strategies of the Assad regime. In a 2024 Brookings Institution study co-authored with Steven Heydemann, he examined how the regime restructured its economic networks to maintain power amid economic collapse. Additionally, his analyses have highlighted issues such as the diversion of humanitarian aid by the Assad regime.[12][13]

Publications

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He has published many research publications and books that have been used as citations from around the globe. As of May 2025, 124 researchers have used his publication as a citation. The following are a few selected publications:[14]

  • Reconciling International Trade Data
  • The Syrian Oil Crisis: Causes, Possible Responses, and Implications
  • The Economics of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

References

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  1. ^ a b "An economist's role in the fall of Syria's government : The Indicator from Planet Money". NPR. 2024-12-12. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  2. ^ "Dr. Karam Shaar". New Lines Institute. 2025-02-25. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  3. ^ "Karam Shaar: Syria in the public eye". RNZ. 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  4. ^ a b "The European Endowment for Democracy (EED) | Karam Shaar and Obsalytics". www.democracyendowment.eu. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  5. ^ "Post-Assad Syria: Implications for the Country and the Middle East » NZIIA - New Zealand Institute of International Affairs". www.nziia.org.nz. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  6. ^ Hubbard, Ben (2021-10-11). "Bashar al-Assad Steps In From the Cold, but Syria Is Still Shattered". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  7. ^ TIMEP (2025-01-21). "What Comes Next? Unpacking the Post-Assad Transition in Syria". The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy -. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  8. ^ RA, enab07 (2020-08-15). "Why do businessmen race to be members in the People's Council of Syria?". Enab Baladi. Retrieved 2025-06-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Donations and despair: Syria's north-west tries to rebuild after quake". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  10. ^ rkremzner@newlinesinstitute.org (2025-01-09). "The Captagon Trade After Assad: Podcast". New Lines Institute. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  11. ^ "Shaar on Lifting Sanctions Against Syria". Bloomberg News.
  12. ^ "An economist's role in the fall of Syria's government". WRVO Public Media. 2024-12-12. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  13. ^ sh, obaida (2024-08-31). "Brookings Study Exposes Assad's Ongoing Economic Exploitation". levant24. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  14. ^ "karam shaar". scholar.google.com.my. Retrieved 2025-05-14.