page_title: Bashar al-Assad
section_title: United States
hierarchical_section_title: Bashar al-Assad / Syria under Bashar al-Assad's rule / Foreign relations / United States
caption_attribution_description: English: Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
context_page_description: Bashar Hafez al-Assad is a Syrian politician who has been the President of Syria since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and Regional Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's branch in Syria. His father, Hafez al-Assad, 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 the Western Eye Hospital in London, specialising in ophthalmology. In 1994, after his elder brother Bassel died in a car crash, Bashar was recalled to Syria to take over Bassel's role as heir apparent. He entered the military academy, taking charge of the Syrian military presence in Lebanon in 1998.
  Political scientists have characterized the Assad family's rule of Syria as a personalist dictatorship. On 17 July 2000, Assad became President, succeeding his father, who died in office a month prior. In the uncontested and non-democratic 2000 and 2007 elections he received 97.29% and 97.6% support, respectively.
context_section_description: Assad met with U.S. scientists and policy leaders during a science diplomacy visit in 2009, and he expressed interest in building research universities and using science and technology to promote innovation and economic growth.
  In response to Executive Order 13769 which mandated refugees from Syria be indefinitely suspended from being able to resettle in the United States, Assad appeared to defend the measure, stating "It's against the terrorists that would infiltrate some of the immigrants to the West... I think the aim of Trump is to prevent those people from coming," adding that it was "not against the Syrian people". This reaction was in contrast to other leaders of countries affected by the Executive Order who condemned it.
caption: Assad meets with U.S. Senator Ted Kaufman in 2009
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