The Damascus International Trade Fair this week seeks to attract investment to Syria to rebuild the damage caused by the seven year civil war. One challenge are high international tariffs though that’s far from the only reason for declining trade. Syria’s imports fell 40% in the 12 months to May 31 vs. 2014 to reach $7 billion. The decline was led by a 60% slump in exports from Russia while China was the only major counterparty to increase exports to Syria with a 15% improvement. That’s been led by increased shipments of capital goods (31% higher in 2017 vs. 2014) including utility-grade...