Paper Title
Impact of War on the Small Business Sector in Yemen and Syria

Abstract
The Arab Spring of 2011 led to the creation of a political conflict environment in the Middle Eastern regions. Among them, Yemen and Syria are witnessing the constant prevalence of armed conflict due to the dominance of the Houthi militia and the Al-Assad regime respectively. The interference of militia in the economic activities and persistence of war has not only caused harm to individuals but has also devastated the small business community. With this, the purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of war on the small business sector in Yemen and Syria. For this, the review-based methodology is adopted wherein based on information available in existing studies and reports the impact is assessed. The discussion of the studies reveals that the growing risk of closure, hefty fines from militants, corruption, extortion, lack of security, roadblocks, or damage to productive assets are some of the common challenges faced by small businesses due to war and unrest. Other obstacles faced by small businesses include money laundering, replacement of executives with militant loyalists, or more role of militants in the region. These challenges result in debt mounting, disrupted livelihoods, promotion of criminal activities, and reduction of mental well-being. Therefore, the prevalence of war is a hindrance in the way of small business development. The initiatives are required in the form of talk promotion or financial aid support to regions of Yemen and Syria in overcoming existing war-based crises. Keywords - Houthi, Al-Assad, armed conflict, Yemen, war, the Middle East, Syria