Who is Bashar al-Assad?
In a surprising twist, rebel forces in Syria took conttrol of Damacus and overthrowned the long-standing Bashar al-Assad government, with what is said to be the end of the Assad family in a war-torn country.
Who is Bashar al-Assad?
Bashar al-Assad took the reins of Syria in 2000, and he continued his authoritarian rule with violence and controversies.
Bashar was born to Hafez al-Assad, who took power in 1970 after a military coup and remianed in power for nearly 30 years.
Read on: Assad killed in plane crash?
Assad grew up in the shadow of his father’s autocratic regime, which elevated the Alawite minority to key political, military, and social positions.
Bashar Assad studied medicine
Bashar Assad studied medicine in London, but things changed after the tragic death of his brother in a car crash.
After his father’s demise in 2000, Bashar was elected president in an unopposed election with a tweak in the constitution for the presidential age limit.
The leader known for progressive thoughts was named to modernise the country.
He, however, advanced the tyrannical rule of his late father and maintained an oppressive stance, aligning with militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and rejecting calls for democratic change.
Arab Spring in Syria
A decade after his rule, Syria saw the Arab Spring as protests started calling for political change but were met with brutal force.
The government responded with widespread violence, killing and arresting thousands of demonstrators in the early months.
Instead of talks, Assad opted to silence the opposition, leading to the eruption of a full-scale civil war.
The war has been marked by atrocities, including widespread human rights violations, the use of chemical weapons on civilians, and indiscriminate bombings of rebel-held areas.
His government continues its stronghold in the country with the help of key allies.
The war, however, ruined Syria, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.
When Daesh took control of Syria
In later years, Daesh took control of parts of the country, further complicating the already chaotic situation.
Assad rejected to join a US-led coalition against ISIS, instead warning that supporting rebel forces would result in attacks against the West.
Also read: ISIS official killed in rare helicopter raid by US in Syria
But the increasing opposition and worst economic crisis weakened Assad’s grip. The former president shaped Syria into a battlefield of geopolitical and ideological conflicts.
