Hafez al-Assad
Bashar Hafez al-Assad (born 11 September 1965) is the 19th president of Syria since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the Secretary-General of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. His father, Hafez al-Assad, was the president of Syria before him, serving from 1971 to 2000.