US exports to Syria in 2003 may have totaled a meager $214 million, but they were vital in maintaining and developing Syria’s energy, telecom, IT and health sectors. The May 2004 sanctions have come at a particularly bad time for a Syria as it struggles down the path of economic reform and as it hopes to attractopening up to outside investors, . Adding to their frustrations, Syrian businessmen and American businesses complain that the laws surrounding sanctions are unclear, the process of obtaining export licenses is at a standstill and a breakdown in trust threatens future investments. Mand have forced both Syrian businessmen and American businesses in Syria to do what they can to get by in a murky legal environment, where laws surrounding sanctions are unclear, the process of obtaining export licenses has come to a standstill, and a breakdown in trust threatens future investments. While many local businessmen
