After seven years of war, Syria’s reconstruction needs are truly daunting. More than half of the country’s hospitals and two out of three schools have been damaged or destroyed and more than a quarter of all homes are in need of repairs.

The price tag to rebuild the country, according to United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, is a hefty $250 billion. While these costs have mounted, Syria has seen its economy dwindle by an equivalent amount since the start of the conflict.

And still the conflict rages on, causing more death, destruction and despair by the day. With no apparent path to victory for the Western-backed opposition, multilateral donors are staying on the sidelines, scared off by international sanctions and the ongoing global dispute over the future of President Bashar al-Assad and his blood-soaked regime.

Having invested heavily in the failed rebellion, Assad's chief foes — the United States, Europe and the Gulf countries — are understandably wary of making a 180-degree turn and lending him a helping hand. But staying away, some economic and regional experts warn, could well prove worse not only for Syria, but for the region and the rest of the world as well.