- November 30, 2024
- 8:44 pm
- Middle East
The situation in Syria has deteriorated again: the regime of Bashar al-Assad is suffering serious losses in clashes with the rebels who hold most areas of Aleppo. This creates pressure on the Kremlin, which is forced to balance between supporting Syria and the war in Ukraine.
Bashar al-Assad has ruled Syria for 24 years (since July 17, 2000) by methods of intimidation and terror. Being the son of the country's former president Hafez al-Assad, he was not preparing to become his father's successor, because his elder brother Bassel was supposed to take the presidency.
Bashar al-Assad was born on September 11, 1965 in Damascus, in the family of General Hafez al-Assad, who later became president of Syria, and his wife Anisa Makhlouf. Bashar began his education at the elite Arab-French Lyceum Hurriya in Damascus. In 1988, he graduated with honors (with honors) from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Damascus, receiving the specialty of an ophthalmologist. After this, Assad worked at the Tishreen military hospital.
in 1991, he went on an internship to the UK at the Western Eye Hospital ophthalmology center at St. Mary's Hospital, located in Paddington, London. While studying in London, Bashar led a quiet, nondescript life.
Biographers say that while studying in London, Bashar led a quiet, nondescript life. There he met his future wife, Asma Fawaz al-Akhras.
Three years later, Bassel al-Assad, Bashar's older brother who was seen as the heir apparent to the presidency, died in a plane crash. He crashed his Mercedes into a guardrail at high speed while rushing to Damascus International Airport to go to a ski resort.
Bashar urgently returned from Britain to Syria, where they began to prepare him to take his brother’s place. To strengthen his position, in 1995 he entered the military academy and in the same year, with the rank of captain, he led a tank battalion (and later the Republican Guard).
In parallel with his military service, the future dictator led the bureau for the consideration of complaints and appeals of citizens, as well as the campaign against corruption. In this way, Hafez al-Assad sought to create a positive public image for his son, who had previously lived out of the public eye.
In 1999, Bashar al-Assad received the rank of colonel, and also the position of adviser to his father.
Hafez al-Assad died on June 10, 2000 due to a heart attack. Hours after his death, the national legislature approved a constitutional amendment lowering the minimum age for president from 40 to 34—which “coincidentally” happened to be Bashar al-Assad’s age.
Already on July 10, running without opposition, the new president was elected to his first seven-year term.
Although many Syrians objected to the transfer of power from father to son, at first expectations from Bashar – due to his youth, education and Western exposure – inspired some optimism both at home and abroad.
In his inauguration speech, Bashar reaffirmed his commitment to economic liberalization and vowed to introduce some political reforms, but rejected Western-style democracy as a suitable political model for Syria.
The first few months of his reign are now called the “Damascus Spring”; then Bashar's policy was softer and more flexible compared to his father's approach. However, the Assad regime quickly changed course, using threats and arrests to suppress pro-reform activism.
However, Russia played a crucial role in maintaining his power.
Cooperation between Moscow and Damascus highlights the close ties between the two countries, which is especially relevant for understanding the current situation in the Middle East.
Quote: “The image of the symbol of hope is a misunderstanding. Bashar was never a reformer, although he considered himself a modernizer,” Christine Helberg, author of books on Syria (DW).
Russia and Assad: an alliance for survival
Russia's role in the fate of Bashar al-Assad is difficult to overestimate. In 2015, with the regime on the verge of collapse, Vladimir Putin launched a large-scale military operation in Syria. This included air, military and financial support.
| Facts about Russian support for the Assad regime |
|---|
| 2015: the beginning of the Russian military operation in Syria. |
| Main directions: assistance to the army, bombing rebel positions. |
| Result: restoration of control over key cities. |
Russian assistance not only strengthened Assad's power, but also turned Syria into an important outpost for Moscow in the Middle East.
Quote: “Syria has become a symbol of Russia’s influence in the international arena, and assistance to Assad is a way to maintain the balance of power in the region,” analyzes an expert from NAnovosti.
Ties with Israel: the politics of tension
Syria's relations with Israel have remained tense for decades. Bashar al-Assad continues to demand the return of the Golan Heights and supports anti-Israeli groups, including Hezbollah.
However, Russian intervention changed the dynamics. Israel and Russia have been building a dialogue in recent years to minimize conflicts in Syria, which reflects the complexity of the political situation in the region.
Assad and Ukraine: Russian support
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise I degrees for the presidency of Leonid Kuchma in April 2002. The motivation is laconic: “For outstanding personal contribution to the development of Ukrainian-Syrian relations.” A little more than a decade has passed, and al-Assad has become an outspoken enemy of Ukraine.
Thus, in October 2018, the dictator received the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, in Syria. Even earlier, Bashar al-Assad said that his children were on vacation in occupied Crimea: “My children were in Artek last year.” After this trip they began to understand Russia better.”
In June 2022, Syria announced that it had officially recognized the “independence” of the so-called “DPR” and “LPR.”
In March 2023, after negotiations with Putin in the Kremlin, al-Assad announced that he would recognize the territories of Ukraine seized by Russia as “historically Russian.”
In addition, Syria, under the Assad dictatorship, regularly votes at the UN against resolutions in favor of Ukraine.
The most interesting thing is that personal sanctions have been applied against Bashar al-Assad in Ukraine, but he still has the Order of Yaroslav the Wise.
Conclusion: Assad and his place in history
Bashar al-Assad is a controversial figure. His regime embodies brutality and repression, but at the same time he has become an important part of Russian policy in the Middle East.
For Israelis, this alliance between Moscow and Damascus is a reminder of the importance of geopolitical balance. Israel continues to closely monitor the situation, aware of the risks of increased Russian-Syrian influence.
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