News feeds and other media give us the hottest topics. For several years now, events in the Middle East have been counted as such. The Syrian president has become a bone in the throat of Western countries. Whatever crimes are happening in the region, the last one is appointed. This fact is not even trying to disguise diplomatic politeness. Demands are openly heard from well-known capitals to remove him from office. It was like a wedge of light converged on one person. Who is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? Why was he so disliked in the western part of the world? Let's get to know him better.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: biography
They say that the East is a delicate matter. This peculiar world has its own rules. The fate of a person here depends on the kind in which he was lucky enough to be born. Bashar's father, Hafez al-Assad, was a brigadier general. A respected and worthy person. The future president of Syria was brought up in a large (by our standards) family. He had an older brother who died untimely, which was a cardin althus changed the fate of Bashar. He received a medical education and worked in a hospital located in the suburbs of Damascus. I did not think about a political career. Even more. In 1991, the future Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose biography seemed successful, trouble-free and even enviable, went to the UK. He took a pseudonym so as not to draw too much attention to his person.
In Foggy Albion, the future president of Syria, by the way, unaware of the heavy fate that would soon fall on his shoulders, improved his professional knowledge and skills. He was then interested in ophthalmology. Additionally, he became interested in computer science. He preferred to communicate with his fellow citizens, which is quite understandable for a person whose father was the President of Syria (at that time). Children of high-ranking leaders are often at risk of colliding with foreign intelligence.
Sharp turn
We repeat, Bashar al-Assad did not plan for himself a career other than medicine. This is important, since in the East it is not customary to give power to just anyone. Hafez Assad relied on his eldest son Basil. It was he who was prepared for the role of the future leader of the country. But tragedy struck. Basil died in 1994. His death was an absurd, terrible accident. He got into a car accident. Bashar had to return to his native land. I had to support my family. And now my father needed a new successor. So, a practicing ophthalmologist involuntarily had to change his dressing gown for a uniform. Syria, like other Middle Easterncountry, could only lead the military. Bashar entered the academy, then went to the army. His career was fast-paced. Already by 1999 he received the rank of colonel. The father insisted that the son master the wisdom of politics. Without the ability to influence others, to understand global trends and the subtleties of real relationships between those in power, the Syrian president will turn out to be "toothless." Consequently, his country is facing imminent destruction.
Head of State
Bashar al-Assad had little time to prepare for a new mission. In 2000, his father died. The cause of death was a heart attack. The next day, Bashar was appointed supreme commander with the rank of lieutenant general. It was the first step towards the top. According to the basic law, the head of Syria is approved by the parliament, the decision of which is confirmed by a popular referendum. But at that time there was an age limit in the Constitution. This item had to be changed. The minimum age of a candidate has been lowered from forty to 34. After that, Bashar al-Assad was elected general secretary of the ruling party. Then he was nominated as a candidate for the presidency. Parliament approved it a week later. And after a short time, a referendum was held, during which Bashar al-Assad was supported by 97% of the citizens. Then the people confirmed their trust in the leader two more times - in 2007 and 2014. It was a very difficult time for the country and its leader.
Foreign policy
Syrian President Bashar al-Assadtook the reins of government in a very difficult situation. Revolutions broke out in neighboring countries. Syria itself, even under his father, lost part of the territory. Israel captured the Dutch Heights. True, he left this area. But there was no peace.
Armed formations such as Hezbollah and Hamas acted on the borders of states, the aggression of which was directed against Israel. Assad, the President of Syria, has been repeatedly accused of supporting these unrecognized structures. He was charged with their support and funding. There are constant clashes in the Middle East. This is the nuance of this region.
And if the former President of Syria (Hafe Assad) led a rather aggressive policy, then his successor, the current head of state, seemed more lenient. He repeatedly suggested that Israel start a negotiation process regarding the disputed territories.
It was also very difficult with the USA. The world hegemon has decided that Syria is part of the "Axis of Evil". Assad was accused of supporting Saddam Hussein. The bombings of Iraq ricocheted in Syria with political attacks from the West. More than one leader has publicly stated that chemical weapons are stored in Syria. Naturally, it was proposed to search for him with the help of cruise missiles.
Withdrawal of troops from Lebanon
Hafez Assad considered it his duty to protect the interests of his native country "on the distant approaches." Back in the seventies of the last century, Syria was drawn into the conflict in Lebanon. There, the troops of the neighbors were perceived as friendly. However, in 2004 there were unrest in Lebanon. Under pressure from the UN, Assad had to withdraw his soldiers from this state. The reason was the murder of one of the Lebanese politicians. However, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was well aware that the strike was aimed at the sovereignty of his state. He was simply rudely squeezed out, forcing him to lose ground. But then he did not find support in the world community. I had to retreat to my borders under pressure from a vastly superior force.
Civil War
In 2011, unrest erupted throughout the Middle East. The reasons were different. In Syria, the people were outraged by the behavior of one of the high-ranking officials. Assad tried to explain to the excited population that all this was provoked from the outside, directed against the state. His voice was not heard. I had to use troops against their own population. The opposition rapidly armed itself, gaining official support from across the ocean. A civil war broke out in the country. Chaos and lawlessness reigned in those territories that the government troops had to leave. The so-called Islamic State (an organization banned in the Russian Federation) is operating there. People are killed without trial, enslaved, women and children are sold.
Private life
Bashar al-Assad married in 2001. With the chosen one was familiar from childhood. The families of the young were friends and encouraged the communication of offspring. Bashar himself said that this is exactly the case when a childhood passion develops into love. They had three children. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife are considered a strong and stylish couple. They had to go through joy and sorrow together. When-then the Assad couple was gladly received in Western capitals. Then all sorts of accusations rained down on them. The media went so far as to suspect Asma (Assad's wife) of involvement in the untimely death of Princess Diana. When the war broke out in the country, the president sent his family abroad, while he himself remained with his people.
Failed intervention
The West was preparing Syria as a field of military operations. To do this, they kindled revolutionary sentiments, spurred on a civil war, and supplied the opposition with weapons. In 2012, the official government was accused of using chemical weapons against civilians. The situation was critical. The UN decided to declare a no-fly zone over the territory of Syria. This meant the death of the state and complete chaos. Russia stood up for its old ally. She used her veto. The Tomahawk ax did not land on the heads of Syrian citizens. But the war continued. The official government was losing territory. Millions of citizens fled their homes. They fled from the terror of the so-called opposition. Some people tried to settle in the lands held by the Assad army, others went abroad.
The right to hope
The presidents of Syria, whose list includes twenty-six people, tried to develop the country. None of them would ever agree to put up with the destructive changes in which the people are now drawn. The “Axis of Evil” declared by the United States has been developing since 2011 and is manifested by murders, lawlessness, destruction of relics, enterprises and humanshower. Someone organized and directs this process. The territory of chaos and horror is spreading.
In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the request of Bashar al-Assad, launched an air operation against ISIS. The help of the army, which owns high-precision modern weapons, has returned hope to the Syrian people. All people want to live peacefully and calmly, raise children, build and develop the country. The Syrian society, at the behest from across the ocean, was deprived of such a right. Now there is a light on the horizon. People began to return to Syria to their leader, whose feat has yet to be realized and described. He single-handedly stood against the most powerful forces that did not know a worthy rebuff. Now he has allies, maybe there will be peace!
