85-601: Assads may refer to, Al-Assad family Assads, Morocco See also [ edit ] Assad (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Assads . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Assads&oldid=932699042 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
170-469: A Stalinist -style personality cult around him; which depicted him as the father figure of Syrian nation. After Hafez's death, the personality cult was extended towards his son, Bashar al-Assad . Monuments, pictures, statues, symbols and billboards of both the leaders extensively pervade the Syrian society; designed to consolidate the notion of "Assad's Syria". Observers view the state propaganda efforts as
255-500: A sham process and boycotted by the opposition . The last two elections - held in 2014 and 2021 - were conducted only in areas controlled by the Syrian government during the country's ongoing civil war and condemned by the United Nations . Immediately after he took office, a reform movement known as Damascus Spring led by writers, intellectuals, dissidents, cultural activists, etc. made cautious advances, which led to
340-510: A car accident in 1994 and Bashar was recalled to the Syrian Army shortly thereafter. State propaganda soon began elevating Bashar's public imagery as "the hope of the masses" to prepare him as the next patriarch in charge of Syria, to continue the rule of the Assad dynasty . Soon after the death of Bassel, Hafez al-Assad decided to make Bashar the new heir apparent . Over the next six and
425-600: A fourteen-year cumulative term limit for the president of Syria. The referendum was pronounced meaningless by foreign nations including the U.S. and Turkey; the EU announced fresh sanctions against key regime figures. In July 2012, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced Western powers for what he said amounted to blackmail thus provoking a civil war in Syria. On 15 July 2012, the International Committee of
510-647: A government strategy to find Syrians who were not supportive of the new leadership. During a state visit by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to Syria in October 2001, Bashar publicly condemned the United States invasion of Afghanistan in a joint press conference, stating that "[w]e cannot accept what we see every day on our television screens - the killing of innocent civilians. There are hundreds dying every day." Assad also praised Palestinian militant groups as " freedom fighters " and criticised Israel and
595-473: A half years, until his death in 2000, Hafez prepared Bashar for taking over power. General Bahjat Suleiman , an officer in the Defense Companies , was entrusted with overseeing preparations for a smooth transition, which were made on three levels. First, support was built up for Bashar in the military and security apparatus. Second, Bashar's image was established with the public. And lastly, Bashar
680-577: A highly personalist dictatorship , which governs Syria as a totalitarian police state , and has been characterised by numerous human rights violations and severe repression . While the Assad government describes itself as secular , various political scientists and observers note that his regime exploits sectarian tensions in the country. The first decade in power was marked by intense censorship , summary executions, forced disappearances , discrimination of ethnic minorities and extensive surveillance by
765-472: A key figure suspected of orchestrating the terrorist attack, as the chief of Syrian Military Intelligence Directorate immediately after Hariri's death. The killings caused massive uproar, triggering an intifada in Lebanon and hundreds of thousands of protestors poured on the streets to demand total withdrawal of Syrian military forces. After mounting international pressure that called Syria to implement
850-497: A new national discourse based on unifying Syrians under "a single imagined Ba’athist identity" and Assadism . Fervently loyalist paramilitaries known as the Shabiha (tr. ghosts) deify the Assad dynasty through slogans such as " There is no God but Bashar! " and pursue psychological warfare against non-conformist populations. About Hafez's siblings who died early—Bayat, Bahijat and an unknown sister—almost nothing
935-500: A result, there are far fewer avenues of free political activism for ordinary Syrians as compared to other Arab states. Until recently, political activism was shunned by many people; instead preferring the stability offered by the regime. The rise of internet and satellite channels and proliferation of civil society groups and independent political activists during the 2000s increasingly began to challenge state monopoly on information, which have led to rising political dissidence amongst
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#17327733040151020-522: A sense that the Assad regime has abandoned them, as well as the failing economic situation. Figures close to Assad began voicing concerns regarding the likelihood of its survival, with one saying in late 2014; "I don't see the current situation as sustainable ... I think Damascus will collapse at some point." In 2015, several members of the Assad family died in Latakia under unclear circumstances. On 14 March, an influential cousin of Assad and founder of
1105-419: A series of coups during the 1960s and built up a one-party state . The party cemented its total control over the state and society by purging civilian elites, pursued an aggressive propaganda policy of "state-nationalist indoctrination" and established patronage networks based on sectarian lines to mobilise support. Following the 1970 coup d'etat that ousted his rival Salah Jadid ; Hafez al-Assad developed
1190-420: A small number of saboteurs. In July 2011, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Assad had "lost legitimacy" as president. On 18 August 2011, Barack Obama issued a written statement that urged Assad to "step aside". In August, the cartoonist Ali Farzat , a critic of Assad's government, was attacked. Relatives of the humourist told media outlets that the attackers threatened to break Farzat's bones as
1275-490: A solution "does not mean we are not interested in a political solution." In July 2014, Assad renewed his third term of presidency after voting process conducted in pro-regime territories which were boycotted by the opposition and condemned by the United Nations . According to Joshua Landis : "He's (Assad) going to say: 'I am the state, I am Syria, and if the West wants access to Syrians, they have to come through me.'" After
1360-493: A strategy for securing the compliance of the masses and identifying the Syrian nationhood with the Assad dynasty. On the other hand, exaggerations of the propaganda and ever-deepening importance attached to upholding the personality cult around the Assad patriarchs have resulted in the simultaneous de-emphasis on the Syrian identity itself; due to the duplication of reality. In addition to criminalising any and all critiques of
1445-584: A warning for him to stop drawing cartoons of government officials, particularly Assad. Farzat was hospitalised with fractures in both hands and blunt force trauma to the head. Since October 2011, Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council , repeatedly vetoed Western-sponsored draft resolutions in the UN Security Council that would have left open the possibility of UN sanctions, or even military intervention, against
1530-576: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Al-Assad family The al-Assad family , also known as the Assad dynasty , is a Syrian political family that has ruled Syria since Hafez al-Assad became president of Syria in 1971 under the Ba'ath Party . After his death, in June 2000, he was succeeded by his son Bashar al-Assad . The al-Assads are originally from Qardaha , Latakia . They belong to
1615-504: Is everywhere. Sometimes there are half a dozen pictures of him in a row. His face envelops telephone poles and trucks, churches and mosques. His is the visage a Syrian sees when he opens his newspaper. — Middle East Insight magazine During the 1950s, Syrian Alawites started becoming influential in the Syrian Armed Forces and Ba'ath party . Led by Alawite military officers like Salah Jadid. Ba'athist factions staged
1700-595: Is publicly known. The Makhloufs belong to the Alawi Haddad tribe, both Hafez and Rifaat are related through marriage to the Makhloufs. The Makhlouf family rose from humble beginnings to become the financial advisor to Hafez al-Assad after the former President married Makhlouf's sister. The family headed by Mohammad Makhlouf has established a vast financial empire in the telecommunication, retail, banking, power generation, and oil and gas sectors. The net worth of
1785-407: Is referred as the "Immortal Leader" and the " al-Muqaddas (Sanctified One)" in official Assadist ideology. Hafez re-organised the Syrian society in militaristic lines and persistently invoked conspiratorial rhetoric on the dangers of foreign-backed plots abetted by fifth columnists and promoted the armed forces as a central aspect of public life. Following the death of Hafez, the personality cult
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#17327733040151870-774: The Financial Times , citing anonymous "senior western intelligence officials", claimed that Russian general Igor Sergun , the director of GRU , the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation , had shortly before his sudden death on 3 January 2016 been sent to Damascus with a message from Vladimir Putin asking that President Assad step aside. The Financial Times' report
1955-560: The Arab League , by suspending Syria, revealed that it was no longer Arab. However, Assad also said the country would not "close doors" to an Arab-brokered solution if "national sovereignty" was respected. He also said a referendum on a new constitution could be held in March. On 27 February 2012, Syria claimed that a proposal that a new constitution be drafted received 90% support during the relevant referendum . The referendum introduced
2040-625: The Ba'athist secret police . In 2011, the United States , European Union , and majority of the Arab League called for Assad to resign following the crackdown on Arab Spring protesters during the events of the Syrian revolution , which led to the Syrian civil war . The civil war has killed around 580,000 people, of which a minimum of 306,000 deaths are non-combatant; according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights , pro-Assad forces caused more than 90% of those civilian deaths. The Assad government has perpetrated numerous war crimes during
2125-653: The Damascus Spring , a period of cultural and political activism marked by calls for transparency and democracy. Although Assad inherited the power structures and personality cult nurtured by his father, he lacked the loyalty received by his father, which led to rising discontent against his rule. As result, many members of the Old Guard resigned or were purged; and the inner-circle were replaced by staunch loyalists from Alawite clans. Assad's early economic liberalisation programs worsened inequalities and centralized
2210-550: The Kalbiyya tribe. The family name Assad goes back to 1927, when Ali Sulayman changed his last name to al-Assad, Arabic for "the lion", possibly in connection with his social standing as a local mediator and his political activities. All members of the extended Assad family stem from Ali Sulayman and his second wife Naissa, who came from a village in the Syrian Coastal Mountains . During his early reign in
2295-534: The Netherlands filed a joint lawsuit at the International Court of Justice accusing the Assad government of infringing UN Convention Against Torture . On 15 November 2023, France issued an arrest warrant against Assad over the use of banned chemical weapons against civilians in Syria. Assad has categorically denied the allegations of these charges and has accused foreign countries, especially
2380-682: The OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism and OPCW-UN IIT concluded that the Assad government was responsible for the 2017 Khan Shaykhun sarin attack and 2018 Douma chemical attack respectively. In June 2014, the American Syrian Accountability Project included Assad on a list of war crimes indictments of government officials and sent it to the International Criminal Court . In 2023, Canada and
2465-650: The Syrian Armed Forces and the secretary-general of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party . He is a son of Hafez al-Assad , who was President of Syria from 1971 to 2000. Born and raised in Damascus , Assad graduated from the medical school of Damascus University in 1988 and began to work as a doctor in the Syrian Army . Four years later, he attended postgraduate studies at
2550-579: The UNSC Resolution 1559 , Bashar al-Assad declared on 5 March that he would order the departure of Syrian soldiers. On 14 March 2005, more than a million Lebanese protestors - Muslims, Christians, and Druze - demonstrated in Beirut, marking the monthly anniversary of Hariri's murder. UN Resolution 1595, adopted on 7 April, sent an international commission to investigate the assassination of Hariri. By 5 May 2005, United Nations had officially confirmed
2635-453: The United States , of attempting regime change . Bashar al-Assad was born in Damascus on 11 September 1965, as the second son and third child of Anisa Makhlouf and Hafez al-Assad . " Al-Assad " in Arabic means " the lion ". Assad's paternal grandfather, Ali Sulayman al-Assad , had managed to change his status from peasant to minor notable and, to reflect this, in 1927 he had changed
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2720-573: The Western Eye Hospital in London, specialising in ophthalmology . In 1994, after his elder brother Bassel al-Assad died in a car accident, Assad was recalled to Syria to take over Bassel's role as heir apparent . Assad entered the military academy, taking charge of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon in 1998. On 17 July 2000, Assad became president, succeeding his father, who died on 10 June 2000 . A series of crackdowns in 2001–02 ended
2805-652: The shabiha , Mohammed Toufic al-Assad, was assassinated with five bullets to the head in a dispute over influence in Qardaha —the ancestral home of the Assad family. In April 2015, Assad ordered the arrest of his cousin Munther al-Assad in Alzirah, Latakia. It remains unclear whether the arrest was due to actual crimes. After a string of government defeats in northern and southern Syria, analysts noted growing government instability coupled with continued waning support for
2890-683: The 1970s been handled by Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam , who had until then been a potential contender for president. By taking charge of Syrian affairs in Lebanon, Bashar was able to push Khaddam aside and establish his own power base in Lebanon. In the same year, after minor consultation with Lebanese politicians, Bashar installed Emile Lahoud , a loyal ally of his, as the President of Lebanon and pushed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri aside, by not placing his political weight behind his nomination as prime minister. To further weaken
2975-429: The 1970s, Hafez al-Assad created patronage networks of Ba'ath party elites figures loyal to his family. Members of Assad family established control over vast swathes of the Syrian economy and corruption became endemic in the public and private sectors. After Hafez al-Assad's death, family connections continued to be important in Syrian politics. Several close family members of Hafez al-Assad also held vital positions in
3060-547: The Alawite sect as a vital component to legitimize their dynastic rule. Many Sunni loyalists have been assigned to crucial posts in the bureaucracy, security forces, military , judiciary, etc. in-order to consolidate Assad family's grip on power. In no other country in recent memory ... not Mao’s China , nor Tito ’s Yugoslavia , has the intensity of the personality cult reached such extremes. Asad’s image, speaking, smiling, listening, benevolent or stern, solemn or reflective,
3145-477: The Assad government among its core Alawite base of support, and that there were increasing reports of Assad relatives, Alawites, and businessmen fleeing Damascus for Latakia and foreign countries. Intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk was placed under house arrest sometime in April and stood accused of plotting with Assad's exiled uncle Rifaat al-Assad to replace Bashar as president. Further high-profile deaths included
3230-468: The Assad government. By the end of January 2012, it was reported by Reuters that over 5,000 civilians and protesters (including armed militants) had been killed by the Syrian army, security agents and militia ( Shabiha ), while 1,100 people had been killed by "terrorist armed forces". On 10 January 2012, Assad gave a speech in which he maintained the uprising was engineered by foreign countries and proclaimed that "victory [was] near". He also said that
3315-640: The CIA. According to a 2013 report by the Open Society Foundations , Syria was one of the "most common destinations for rendered suspects" under the CIA's program. "It will be Lahoud .. opposing him is tantamount to opposing Assad himself.. I will break Lebanon over your head and over Walid Jumblatt 's head. So you had better return to Beirut and arrange the matter on that basis." — Assad's threats to Rafic Hariri in August 2004, over
3400-598: The EU foreign ministers agreed at a meeting in Brussels to add Assad and nine other officials to a list affected by travel bans and asset freezes. On 24 May 2011, Canada imposed sanctions on Syrian leaders, including Assad. On 20 June, in response to the demands of protesters and international pressure, Assad promised a national dialogue involving movement toward reform, new parliamentary elections , and greater freedoms . He also urged refugees to return home from Turkey, while assuring them amnesty and blaming all unrest on
3485-571: The IS victory at Tabqa Airbase . This was shortly followed by Alawite protests in Homs demanding the resignation of the governor, and the dismissal of Assad's cousin Hafez Makhlouf from his security position leading to his subsequent exile to Belarus. Growing resentment towards Assad among Alawites was fuelled by the disproportionate number of soldiers killed in fighting hailing from Alawite areas,
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3570-724: The President and celebrate "the virtues" of the Assad dynasty. Syria began developing a covert nuclear weapons programme with assistance of North Korea during the 2000s, but its suspected nuclear reactor was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force during Operation Outside the Box in September 2007. Protests in Syria began on 26 January 2011 following the Arab Spring protests that called for political reforms and
3655-612: The President of the Syrian Computer Society and helped to introduce the internet in Syria, which aided his image as a moderniser and reformer. Ba'athist loyalists in the party, military and the Alawite sect were supportive of Bashar al-Assad, enabling him to become his father's successor. After the death of Hafez al-Assad on 10 June 2000, the Constitution of Syria was amended. The minimum age requirement for
3740-500: The Red Cross declared Syria to be in a state of civil war, as the nationwide death toll for all sides was reported to have neared 20,000. On 6 January 2013, Assad, in his first major speech since June, said that the conflict in his country was due to "enemies" outside of Syria who would "go to Hell" and that they would "be taught a lesson". However, he said that he was still open to a political solution saying that failed attempts at
3825-478: The Tishrin Military Hospital on the outskirts of Damascus. Four years later, he settled in London to start postgraduate training in ophthalmology at the Western Eye Hospital . He was described as a "geeky I.T. guy" during his time in London. Bashar had few political aspirations, and his father had been grooming Bashar's older brother Bassel as the future president. However, he died in
3910-486: The U.S.' behaviour as "unjust and arrogant aggression" and stated that the missile strikes "do not change the deep policies" of the Syrian government. President Assad also told the Agence France-Presse that Syria's military had given up all its chemical weapons in 2013, and would not have used them if they still retained any, and stated that the chemical attack was a "100 percent fabrication" used to justify
3995-484: The United States. At the end of December 2015, senior U.S. officials privately admitted that Russia had achieved its central goal of stabilising Syria and, with the expenses relatively low, could sustain the operation at this level for years to come. In December 2015, Putin stated that Russia was supporting Assad's forces and was ready to back anti-Assad rebels in a joint fight against IS. On 22 January 2016,
4080-696: The Western world during the conference. British officials subsequently described Assad's political views as being more conciliatory in private, claiming that he criticized the September 11 attacks and accepted the legitimacy of the State of Israel . Following the September 11 attacks and during the early stages of the US-led war on terror , "Syria had emerged as one of the CIA ’s most effective intelligence allies in
4165-427: The area. The chieftains from the powerful families would provide protection to their neighbours and in return they gained loyalty and respect. He lived until 1963, long enough to see his son's rise to power. He married twice and over three decades had eleven children. His first wife Sa'ada was from the district of Haffeh. They had three sons and two daughters. His second wife was Na'isa, twenty years younger than him. She
4250-408: The binary opposition of a devilishly determined, conspiring ‘outside’ bent on hurting a heroically defending and essentially good ‘inside’... consistent with Baathist dualism, [the speech] makes the sparing, if not grudging, mention of supposedly minor dissent in this ‘inside’. This dissent loses its political meaning, or moral justification, acquiring ‘othering’ essence when the president places it in
4335-455: The car bomb which killed Hariri in February". On 27 May 2007, Assad was approved for another seven-year term in a referendum on his presidency, with 97.6% of the votes supporting his continued leadership. Opposition parties were not allowed in the country and Assad was the only candidate in the referendum. Syria's opposition parties under the umbrella of Damascus Declaration denounced
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#17327733040154420-465: The chief grantees of the outcomes were businessmen and relatives close to the Assad family; such as Rami Makhlouf . Unlike other Arab dictatorships, this feature of the Baath regime and total centralisation of power in the hands of the Assad patriarchs had enabled it to instill apoliticism amongst its citizens; where the ritualisation of state slogans and symbolism had led to de facto compliance. As
4505-766: The commanders of the Fourth Armoured Division, the Belli military airbase, the army's special forces and of the First Armoured Division, with an errant air strike during the Palmyra offensive killing two officers who were reportedly related to Assad. On 4 September 2015, when prospects of Assad's survival looked bleak, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was providing the Assad government with sufficiently "serious" help: with both logistical and military support. Shortly after
4590-686: The course of the Syrian civil war, and the Syrian Arab Armed Forces has also carried out several attacks with chemical weapons. The deadliest chemical attack was a sarin gas strike in Ghouta on 21 August 2013, which killed between 281 to 1,729 people. In December 2013, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stated that findings from an inquiry by the UN implicated Assad in war crimes . Investigations by
4675-493: The dismissive context of the ‘ fitna ’... Following this hard-line speech, the protesters’ demands moved from reforming to overthrowing the regime." — Professor Akeel Abbas on Assad's first public speech after the outbreak of Syrian Revolution protests The U.S. imposed limited sanctions against the Assad government in April 2011, followed by Barack Obama 's executive order as of 18 May 2011 targeting Bashar Assad specifically and six other senior officials. On 23 May 2011,
4760-568: The election of Donald Trump , the priority of the U.S. concerning Assad was unlike the priority of the Obama administration , and in March 2017, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley stated the U.S. was no longer focused on "getting Assad out", but this position changed in the wake of the 2017 Khan Shaykhun chemical attack . Following the missile strikes on a Syrian airbase on the orders of President Trump, Assad's spokesperson described
4845-496: The elections as illegitimate and part of the regime's strategy to sustain the " totalitarian system". Elections in Syria are officially designated as the event of "renewing the pledge of allegiance" to the Assads and voting is enforced as a compulsory duty for every citizen. Announcement of the results are followed by pro-government rallies conducted across the country extolling the regime, wherein citizens declare their "devotion" to
4930-648: The fall of four military bases in September 2014, which were the last government footholds in the Raqqa Governorate , Assad received significant criticism from his Alawite base of support. This included remarks made by Douraid al-Assad, cousin of Bashar al-Assad, demanding the resignation of the Syrian Defence Minister, Fahd Jassem al-Freij , following the massacre by the Islamic State of hundreds of government troops captured after
5015-624: The family name from " Wahsh " (meaning " Savage ") to " Al-Assad ". Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, was born to an impoverished rural family of Alawite background and rose through the Ba'ath Party ranks to take control of the Syrian branch of the Party in the Corrective Movement , culminating in his rise to the Syrian presidency . Hafez promoted his supporters within the Ba'ath Party, many of whom were also of Alawite background. After
5100-485: The family was estimated in 2010 to be at least five billion dollars. Bashar al-Assad [REDACTED] Member State of the Arab League [REDACTED] Asia portal [REDACTED] History portal Bashar al-Assad (born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician and dictator who has been the 19th and current president of Syria since 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of
5185-423: The fight against al-Qaeda ," with "the quality and quantity of information from Syria [having] exceeded the Agency’s expectations." Syria closely cooperated with the CIA's detention and interrogation program of people deemed " illegal enemy combatants "; Syrian prisons were a major site of extraordinary rendition by the CIA of alleged al-Qaeda members where they were tortured by Syrian interrogators on behalf of
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#17327733040155270-519: The government since his rise to power, an arrangement which exists to the present day. Syrian bureaucracy and business-community are also dominated by members of the Assad dynasty and individuals affiliated with them. Hafez Al-Assad built his regime as a bureaucracy that was marked by a distinct cult of personality , uncharacteristic in modern Syrian history . Images, portraits, quotes and praises of Assad are displayed everywhere from schools to public markets and government offices; and Hafez al-Assad
5355-533: The issue of tenure extension of Syrian ally Emile Lahoud On 14 February 2005, Rafic Hariri , the former prime minister of Lebanon, was assassinated in a massive truck-bomb explosion in Beirut , killing 22 people. The Christian Science Monitor reported that "Syria was widely blamed for Hariri's murder. In the months leading to the assassination, relations between Hariri and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad plummeted amid an atmosphere of threats and intimidation." Bashar promoted his brother-in-law Assef Shawkat ,
5440-502: The old Syrian order in Lebanon, Bashar replaced the long-serving de facto Syrian High Commissioner of Lebanon, Ghazi Kanaan , with Rustum Ghazaleh . Parallel to his military career, Bashar was engaged in public affairs. He was granted wide powers and became head of the bureau to receive complaints and appeals of citizens, and led a campaign against corruption. As a result of this campaign, many of Bashar's potential rivals for president were put on trial for corruption. Bashar also became
5525-412: The outbreak of World War I , the Ottoman governor of the Aleppo Vilayet sent troops to the area to collect taxes and round up recruits. The troops were reportedly fought off by Sulayman and his friends who were only armed with sabres and old muskets. Because Sulayman was respected, he was a local mediator between quarreling families. He was also one of the local chieftains who were the de facto rulers of
5610-580: The presidency was lowered from 40 to 34, which was Bashar's age at the time. Assad contested as the only candidate and subsequently confirmed president on 10 July 2000 , with 97.29% support for his leadership. In line with his role as President of Syria, he was also appointed the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. A series of state elections have since been held regularly every seven years which Assad won with overwhelming majority of votes. The elections are unanimously regarded by independent observers as
5695-419: The regime; the modes of conveying messages between the state and civil society are restricted strictly within bounds of what is officially acceptable. The state further banned private political opinions critical of the regime and encourages citizens to report relatives and friends who exhibit undesirable attitudes. The policies of economic liberalization implemented during the 2000s worsened the corruption; since
5780-451: The reinstatement of civil rights, as well as an end to the state of emergency which had been in place since 1963. One attempt at a "day of rage" was set for 4–5 February, though it ended uneventfully. Protests on 18–19 March were the largest to take place in Syria for decades, and the Syrian authority responded with violence against its protesting citizens. In his first public response to the protests delivered on 30 March 2011, Assad blamed
5865-578: The revolution, Alawite strongmen were installed while Sunnis , Druze , and Ismailis were removed from the army and Ba'ath party. Hafez al-Assad's 30-year military rule witnessed the transformation of Syria into a dynastic dictatorship. The new political system was led by the Ba'ath party elites dominated by the Alawites, who were fervently loyal to the Assad family and controlled the military, security forces and secret police. The younger Assad had five siblings, three of whom are deceased. A sister named Bushra died in infancy. Assad's youngest brother, Majd,
5950-457: The shut down of Mezzeh prison and the declaration of a wide-ranging amnesty releasing hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood affiliated political prisoners. However, security crackdowns commenced again within the year, turning it into the Damascus Winter. Hundreds of intellectuals were arrested, targeted, exiled or sent to prison and the state of emergency was continued. The early concessions were rolled back to tighten authoritarian control, censorship
6035-474: The socio-political power of the loyalist Damascene elite of the Assad family ; alienating the Syrian rural population, urban working classes, businessmen, industrialists and people from once-traditional Ba'ath strongholds. The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon in February 2005, triggered by the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri , forced Assad to end the Syrian occupation of Lebanon . Academics and analysts have characterized Assad's presidency as
6120-404: The start of direct military intervention by Russia on 30 September 2015 at the formal request of the Syrian government, Putin stated the military operation had been thoroughly prepared in advance and defined Russia's goal in Syria as "stabilising the legitimate power in Syria and creating the conditions for political compromise". Putin's intervention saved the Assad regime at a time when it was on
6205-546: The total departure of all Syrian soldiers, ending the 29-year old military occupation . The uprisings that occurred in these months came to be known as Lebanon's "independence intifada" or the " Cedar Revolution ". UN investigation commission's report published on 20 October 2005 revealed that high-ranking members of Syrian intelligence and Assad family had directly supervised the killing. The BBC reported in December 2005 that "Damascus has strongly denied involvement in
6290-435: The unrest on "conspiracies" and accused the Syrian opposition and protestors of seditious " fitna ", toeing the party-line of framing the Ba'athist state as the victim of an international plot. He also derided the Arab Spring movement, and described those participating in the protests as "germs" and fifth-columnists . "Throughout the speech, al-Assad remained faithful to the basic ideological line of Syrian Baathism :
6375-564: The verge of a looming collapse. It also enabled Moscow to achieve its key geo-strategic objectives such as total control of Syrian airspace, naval bases that granted permanent martial reach across the Eastern Mediterranean and easier access to intervene in Libya. In November 2015, Assad reiterated that a diplomatic process to bring the country's civil war to an end could not begin while it was occupied by "terrorists", although it
6460-719: The younger generations. Describing the hardships to raise the political consciousness of Syrian citizens by contrasting their situation with other Arab protestors, Caroline, a Syrian Christian and civic activist imprisoned by regime during the 2011–12 Arab Spring protests , states: "Before the revolution in Egypt , people were allowed to gather, had political parties; people were exposed to political life. In Syria, we were away from politics. We were raised in Syria and our parents used to tell us that we shouldn't talk with anyone about our religion or about politics" Since Hafiz al-Assad's seizure of power in 1970 ; state propaganda has promoted
6545-413: Was born in 1875 and lived in the village of Qardaha in the coastal Syrian mountains. The locals reportedly nicknamed him "Wahsh", Arabic for "wild beast", because he was physically strong and a good fighter. Al-Wahsh remained the family name until the 1920s, when it was changed to al- Assad , Arabic for " lion ". Because of Sulayman's reported strength and marksmanship, he was respected in his village. At
6630-498: Was considered by BBC News to be unclear whether he meant only ISIL or Western-supported rebels as well. On 22 November, Assad said that within two months of its air campaign Russia had achieved more in its fight against ISIL than the U.S.-led coalition had achieved in a year. In an interview with Czech Television on 1 December, he said that the leaders who demanded his resignation were of no interest to him, as nobody takes them seriously because they are "shallow" and controlled by
6715-423: Was denied by Putin's spokesman. It was reported in December 2016 that Assad's forces had retaken half of rebel-held Aleppo , ending a 6-year stalemate in the city. On 15 December, as it was reported government forces were on the brink of retaking all of Aleppo—a "turning point" in the civil war, Assad celebrated the "liberation" of the city, and stated, "History is being written by every Syrian citizen." After
6800-589: Was familiarised with the mechanisms of running the country. To establish his credentials in the military, Bashar entered the military academy at Homs in 1994 and was propelled through the ranks to become a colonel of the elite Syrian Republican Guard in January 1999. To establish a power base for Bashar in the military, old divisional commanders were pushed into retirement, and new, young, Alawite officers with loyalties to him took their place. In 1998, Bashar took charge of Syria's Lebanon file , which had since
6885-557: Was increased and the Damascus Spring movement was banned under the pretext of "national unity and stability". The regime's policy of a "social market economy" became a symbol of corruption, as Assad loyalists became its sole beneficiaries. Several discussion forums were shut down and many intellectuals were abducted by the Mukhabarat, tortured and killed. Many analysts believe that initial promises of opening up were part of
6970-549: Was inherited by his son and successor Bashar al-Assad who is hailed by the party as the "Young Leader" and "Hope of the People". Highly influenced by the model of the North Korean Kim dynasty , official propaganda ascribes divine features to the Assad dynasty; and reveres the Assad patriarchs as the founding fathers of modern Syria. The Assad family originates from Ali Sulayman al-Wahsh, Hafez al-Assad's father, who
7055-439: Was not a public figure and little is known about him other than he was intellectually disabled , and died in 2009 after a "long illness". Unlike his brothers Bassel and Maher , and second sister, also named Bushra , Bashar was quiet, reserved and lacked interest in politics or the military. The Assad children reportedly rarely saw their father, and Bashar later stated that he only entered his father's office once while he
7140-548: Was president. He was described as "soft-spoken", and according to a university friend, he was timid, avoided eye contact and spoke in a low voice. Assad received his primary and secondary education in the Arab-French al-Hurriya School in Damascus. In 1982, he graduated from high school and then studied medicine at Damascus University . In 1988, Assad graduated from medical school and began working as an army doctor at
7225-401: Was the daughter of Uthman Abbud from the village of Al-Qutailibiyah , a dozen kilometres further up the mountain. They had a daughter and five sons. Hafez was born on 6 October 1930 and was the fourth child. Al-Assad family is affiliated with the Alawite sect, a syncretic sect with links to early Shi'ism . Since coming to power in 1970, Assad family traditionally used sectarian loyalty from
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