The war in Iran has exposed something energy economists have been noting for years: not all oil importers are equally vulnerable, and the gap between them is widening.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024 transformed Syria into a vacuum, pitting interests of regional powers against one another. Nearly a year later, Türkiye, Israel, Iran, and the Ahmed al-Sharaa government continue to champion competing visions for Syria’s future.