What Was Syria Like 20 Years Ago?

Opening Up (1995): A fascinating report from the 90s on Syria's attempts to modernise its economy and open up its borders to foreign investors and tourists.
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Synopsis: In 1995, under the leadership Bashar al-Assad's father Hafez al-Assad, Syria was prospering at a slow rate, but prospering nonetheless; levels of tourism to the country, especially to Palmyra, were higher than ever, foreign investment in the country was on the rise, and Syria, now in dialogue with the US and Israel, was becoming less politically isolated. Yet problems still remained; there was only one central government bank, which made investment near impossible, technical inefficiencies caused production to remain slow, and political opposition was all but absent. ABC Australia reports from the capital Damascus on a country that now fills the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
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ABC Australia - Ref. 0178

[@Guattari-rz3sk]

Born in 2001, watching this is emotionally painful. Syria was a pearl of the middle east, so many ancient wonders in its land, religiously diverse. All of that destroyed, it makes my blood boil, because the people of Syria deserved so much better.

[@user-kk2pc7ik7t]

Your not alone. May this contry prosper again ❤

[@judekanawati7467]

I can’t believe a place I was supposed to call “my future home to be” got this despicable result by its own president and people..... as a Syrian who was born and raised elsewhere, I was finally waiting an opportunity to go and live there for the rest of my life..... Until this happened. What’s even more appalling is watching this video, hearing that my “Home to be” supports Terrorism?!...... I’m not patriotic, but I do believe to have the right to be happy where I come from. What makes me happy to be from this beautiful land not because of it’s rich history only, but also because I have loving relatives who were the primary familiar faces I remember about my home. I thought that living there will open to me BIG opportunities to experience real life there through its people.... May my Grandmother and her husband Rest In Peace. For they were among the people I’ve known to shine with love and energy through everyone’s soul. May you both Rest In Peace. Sorry for the long writing. I guess I was a bit desperate in finding wonderful things about my homeland... as far as it seems, it is rather an utterly awful shock to me

[@emh8849]

Don't worry my friend, if you've never seen syria before the war, let me tell you it was a place that really did feel like home, and people treated people like family, i am lebanese but syrian on my mother's side, but i still favor syria and its people over my lebanese side

[@emh8849]

And tbh i recently visited there again and the place never felt better, so let's hope it goes back to the way it was

[@judekanawati7467]

@@emh8849 Hey there! Thank you for your kind and supportive words. As a matter of fact I used to travel to Syria A LOT from the day I was born until 2012. It was the last time I ever went there actually.

[@angelocalderaro16]

@@judekanawati7467 I wish you to visit your country again in the future 🙏🏼

[@okayokay12]

Hey bro what's up? If you wanna talk to Syrian fellow I'm here just lemme know

[@sarimooma2299]

I can't believe the potential wasted here. wow

[@abdalmoeen1522]

أيام الزمن الجميل التي رحلت ويستحيل أن تعود

[@Rafe-FromSyria]

مافي شي مستحيل…

[@AliAbrahem]

It was the same in Libya and it still is now alhamdullilah and inshallah it will go back to normal as it is very rich and beautiful with even more nicer and beautiful people in Libya.

[@imansh5132]

seeking "political freedom" cost us eventually our lives and homes :"(

[@omarma7815]

no one could have known, but now we know, our children will not grow up ignorant about the truth about the country we live in anymore, and they will take back their country from their oppressors

[@avikazak655]

As a Syrian i wish i was aborted

[@Ibro_Alhilal]

اذا الله خلانا عايشيين رح ارجع بعد 5 سنين اشوف تعليقي

[@harshrajoria8758]

I can't believe that this is Syria

[@suleyman8696]

Why ? This is Syria 🇸🇾 … You shouldn’t believe that the Syria rn is Syria…

[@harshrajoria8758]

@@suleyman8696 No because its soooo beautiful And if we see Syria in 2022, then Syria is completely devastated. bro how is life in syria now?

[@majdsy1146]

@@harshrajoria8758 Syria Very good today 👍

[@harshrajoria8758]

​@@majdsy1146 how can you said that? because in some videos syria is look like that kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJSZgayLnr5qqdk

[@MSMS-mb6vm]

The video was posted to KZbin on 2007, please check the date before you comment so that is 1987 you're talking about Plus yes, this is Syria, not much the stereotypes you hear about. aside the war obviously, but Yes Syrians aren't all brownish and "terrorists" and Islamists like you all think.

[@englishman9020]

Until 2011

[@suleyman8696]

Crazy how this video was made in 2007 ... before 2011 civil war!

[@seenoevil85]

@@suleyman8696 Made in 1995, posted on KZbin in 2007.

[@reufik.5669]

THANKS AMERICA!!

[@samermak662]

kis immak ma absha3ak ya bandoora 7amra twink mo3aq

[@user-kk2pc7ik7t]

So terrible what happened to Palmyra. May all the innocent civilians in Syria and Iraq have justice ❤

[@Amin-js4en]

Bashar Al Assad is still in place, You lost your homes, West & Israel is happy that Syria is weak, Country is damaged beyond repair tell me Syrians what did you gain out of this 'Arab Spring'?

[@omarma7815]

go say that to the face of a man who recieved the body of his tortured son, to the wife who was raped, to the elder who was shot, to the men who were gassed, humans naturally aspire for freedom and liberty and non of them could know the future, you would be saying the same thing about france or hungary if their revolutions lost but just because we are from the middle east we dont deserve to live free according to your mentality

[@Speed_IOT]

@@omarma7815people were happy, my family were happy, before the so called “freedom fighters” went out and started this so-called “revolution”. This so-called “rebels” today are radical islamists now nowhere close to democracy but corruption. Look at Libya, Syria would’ve turned into a Libya if the government was taken down. There is so much linking these gassings to the rebels and daesh, and not to mention; why would Bashar gas his people after he achieves more in Syria, gains more land, meanwhile the “rebels” are backing up.

[@user-sd3sq3nb7x]

رح ارجع بعد ٥ سنين وشوف هل التعليق كيف صرت منيح امورك مخرطشة

[@user-uh8ro8iv2z]

Yes brother this is sad 😂😂😂 Rest in peices Syria the land of the future and freedom of speech

[@AhmadMuath-xn2es]

​@@user-uh8ro8iv2z bot

[@user-uh8ro8iv2z]

@@AhmadMuath-xn2es real Not a bot

[@junaidahsan783]

I hope that this Syria is come back

[@Rafe-FromSyria]

@@user-uh8ro8iv2zbot

[@nerjeshayder4174]

انا شفت الفيديو بعد 13 سنه

[@user-xf6xy7ky5q]

١٥

[@user-uh8ro8iv2z]

Yes brother this is sad 😂😂😂 Rest in peices Syria the land of the future and freedom of speech This is a punishment by Allah

[@aymanalfaraj2465]

رح ارجع بعد عشر سنين اشوف تعليقي

[@sa34w]

They gave too much importance to religion and adherence, they can easily give up their religious extremism and go to rebuild the country

[@thekrevolution]

Syria does not follow one religion you fool, there are Christians, Muslims, Jews and non-religious people in Syria. The country is run as a secular state and not under islamic law which is why they fought against ISIS to prevent religious extremists from taking over.

[@user-uh8ro8iv2z]

Yes brother this is sad 😂😂😂 Rest in peices Syria the land of the future and freedom of speech

[@tore705]

Great culture.