President Bashar al-Assad has been fighting rebel forces in Syria with the help of Russia and Iran for many years, but he never fully defeated them. This has made him vulnerable, especially as his allies are busy with other conflicts. Recently, the rebels made a quick advance in western Syria, creating a serious threat to Assad’s long rule. Statues of his father and brother have been torn down, and posters of him have been vandalized.
Assad has been president since 2000, following his father’s death, and he has tried to keep control in a country where most people are Sunni Muslims, while he belongs to the Alawite sect. His time in power was shaped by the civil war that began in 2011. It started when people wanted democracy but faced brutal attacks instead. In 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump called him an “animal” for using chemical weapons, which Assad denied.
With help from Russian airstrikes and Iranian-backed fighters, Assad managed to take back many territories from the rebels. Although there has been a bit of calm over the years, many areas are still not under his control, and the country’s economy is struggling due to sanctions. Some Arab countries that had turned against him are beginning to reconnect.
Assad has not spoken publicly since the rebels captured Aleppo last week but told Iran’s president that the conflict aimed to serve Western interests. In 2012, he said he was like a surgeon saving a patient, even if his hands were “covered in blood.”
As the conflict continued, he declared, “We will hit them with an iron fist,” but much of Syria is still at war. The number of deaths is over 350,000, and many Syrians have fled the country.
Some Syrians support him because they believe he is protecting them from extremist groups. While he claims Syria is a secular state, the conflict has become increasingly sectarian, with Iranian fighters supporting him and Sunni countries backing the rebels. Iran sees Assad’s survival as very important.
However, the United States failed to respond strongly when Assad used chemical weapons, even though there is evidence showing he did. Assad often laughed off accusations against him, including using barrel bombs that caused a lot of destruction.
Despite sanctions and being viewed as a bad leader by many in the West, some Arab nations are starting to warm up to him again. In 2022, he was welcomed in the United Arab Emirates, showing a shift in relationships.
Bashar Assad used to be an eye doctor in London before becoming president after his father passed away in 2000. Initially, he seemed to bring some hopeful changes, releasing political prisoners and trying to open the economy. However, these positive signs quickly faded, leading to a failed promise of reform.
The economy struggles while many people suffer, creating tension and protests that contributed to the ongoing conflict. Tensions grew with the West after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, and public pressure mounted on Assad after the assassination of a Lebanese leader in 2005.
