Syria, Saved by Freedom!

65 years of socialism shrank Syria's economy. Can 18 months of freedom rebuild it? Dr. Mazen Derwan makes the case for the free market — no holds barred. Dr. Mazen Derwan is a Syrian industrialist and entrepreneur, president of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Industry, and a long-time lecturer on competitive free-market economics. In this episode we cover: Why Syria's economy is recovering faster than anyone expected after liberation The three natural rights — life, liberty and property — and how the old regime violated all three Why price controls hurt the poor instead of protecting them The difference between real capitalism and crony capitalism State monopolies: the "one people, one fridge" era Why Scandinavia isn't the socialist success story many believe Milton Friedman's four ways to spend money — and why government is the worst What freedom really means, from the Berlin Wall to Lebanon's future The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Defending Culture. This episode discusses sensitive political and economic topics. Chapters: 00:00 Meet Dr. Mazen Derwan 01:28 How free Syria is growing so fast 04:00 65 years of socialism: a 90% collapse 06:54 Pre-war GDP recovered in 18 months 09:23 Freedom, belonging & the 3 natural rights 15:50 Syria's new tax & investment laws 17:58 What the left left behind 22:55 "God sets the price": Islam & markets 24:48 Price controls = breaking the mirror 31:02 Capitalism vs. crony capitalism 35:32 State monopolies: one people, one fridge 40:42 The Scandinavian myth 48:36 Why the left has charisma 52:18 Milton Friedman's 4 ways to spend money 58:13 Where Marx got value wrong 1:02:23 What freedom really means 1:03:23 The Berlin Wall & the Trabant 1:09:31 A message to Lebanon Subscribe for more conversations on culture, identity and history. Follow us on Instagram and visit defendingculture.com #Syria #FreeMarket #Economy #Lebanon #DefendingCulture