Syrian Regime Still Thinks Tourism Is An Option

If you ever felt bad about your seemingly worthless job, remember that Syria still has a Ministry of Tourism. The country has rightfully been absent from most people’s travel wish lists, considering there are already 250,000 people trapped in Aleppo who are desperate to leave. Yet, President Bashar al-Assad’s regime thought it would be a good idea to release a promotional video of idyllic beaches and landscapes in an effort to boost the country’s tourism. And just when you thought the idea couldn’t get more tone-deaf, the promo uses the opening music from HBO’s Game of Thrones. Sure, civil war and barbaric bloodshed are popular on the fictional TV show, but that doesn’t mean we want to see what the world would be like if King Joffrey lived to become President of Syria.