Bashar al-Assad

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[[File:Bashar al-Assad (cropped).jpg|thumb|165px|Here we can see the grand poobah, thinking of new ways to have fun with killing minorities.]]{{politics}}{{cquote|Dear Bashar al-Assad apologists: your hero is a war criminal even if he didn't gas Syrians.|||Marah Bukai<ref>[https://theintercept.com/2018/04/19/dear-bashar-al-assad-apologists-your-hero-is-a-war-criminal-even-if-he-didnt-gas-syrians/ Dear Bashar al-Assad Apologists: Your Hero Is a War Criminal Even If He Didn’t Gas Syrians: Whether or not the Syrian leader used chemical weapons in Douma or Khan Sheikhoun, he is still a monster for torture, bombing, and much else.] by Mehdi Hasan (April 19 2018, 12:00 p.m.) ''The Intercept''.</ref>}}
'''Bashar al-Assad''' {{lived|[[9/11|September 11]], 1965}}{{onion}} a.k.a. '''"The 
Duck'''
<ref>[https://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/03/28/203829.html "From Lion to ‘Duck’: Assad’s nickname goes viral"], Alarabiya.net (ENG) via Agence France‑Presse 3.28.12.</ref> '''Lion of Syria"''' was the "[[Dictator|president]]" of the [[Syria|Syrian Arab Republic]] and (not coincidentally) head of the Syrian [[Ba'ath Party]] from 2000-2024, a position which he inherited from his father, former Syrian [[dictator|president]] Hafez al-Assad. [[George W. Bush|Dubya]] used to outsource [[torture]] to him,<ref>Walt, Vivienne, [http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1546119,00.html "Inside the CIA's Secret Prisons Program"], ''TIME'' 10/13.16.</ref> and his knowledge of torture came from a literal [[Nazi]], {{wpl|Alois Brunner||,}} assistant to [[Adolf Eichmann]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/12/eichmanns-best-man-lived-and-died-in-syria/383296/|title=Eichmann's best man lived and died in Syria|date=December 1, 2014|work=The Atlantic}}</ref>

A little over a decade after he assumed office, the country erupted into [[Syrian Civil War|civil war]]. As the war dragged on, both sides got more extreme, and religious fanatics — fresh from years of fighting in {{wpl|Foreign fighters in the Syrian and Iraqi Civil Wars|other places}} — took over the fighting.

After 13 years of civil war, Bashar al-Assad's forces were defeated at Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus, the country's three largest cities all in one week. On December 7, 2024, Assad fled Damascus, finally ending his regime (and ironically ''becoming a Syrian refugee himself'').<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-rebels-celebrate-captured-homs-set-sights-damascus-2024-12-07/|title=Syrian rebels topple President Assad, prime minister calls for free elections|date=December 8, 2024|work=Reuters}}</ref>

==Background==
He was trained to be an eye surgeon,<ref>Sachs, Susan, [http://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/14/world/man-in-the-news-the-shy-young-doctor-at-syria-s-helm-bashar-al-assad.html "Man in the News; The Shy Young Doctor at Syria's Helm; Bashar al-Assad"], [[NYT]] 6.14.00.</ref> not a dentist as various media reports have said. When his father died and his brother was in a car accident, Bashar took over the leadership role. The Assads ruled Syria for 54 years. The heads of the government and the military were stacked with family members and other Alawites.

He's a native Syrian who attended exclusive French-speaking schools. His (now former) First Lady is an investment banker born in London. Under her influence, he tried to modernize the Syrian economy with mixed results. He couldn't manage the water supply as well as his father did,<ref>[http://ens-newswire.com/2014/02/28/assad-regimes-drought-response-triggered-syrian-war/ "Assad Regime’s Drought Response Triggered Syrian War"], Environmental News Service (2/28/14 at 1:26 pm ).</ref> and his attempts at modernization only deepened the [[Caste|stratification]] of Alawi and non-Alawi.<ref>Fisher, Max, [http://www.vox.com/2015/11/5/9671746/syria-assad-military-loyal "'The Assad suburb': How Syria ghettoized the military to keep it loyal"], Vox (11/5/15 at 8:30am EST)</ref>

In a 2003 interview, Assad said "<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Osama bin Laden]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> cannot talk on the phone or use the Internet, but he can direct communications to the four corners of the world? This is illogical."<ref name="USA Today"/> Assad also doubted the existence of [[al-Qaeda]]:

{{quotebox|Is there really an entity called al-Qaeda? Was it in Afghanistan? Does it exist now?<ref name="USA Today">[https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-05-25-assad_x.htm "Assad doubts existence of al-Qaeda"] ''USA Today''. May 25, 2003.</ref>}}

==Nazi war criminals==
Syria gave refuge to at least two high-level [[Nazi]] [[war criminal]]s and [[SS]] members, Franz Stangl and {{wpl|Alois Brunner}} (later known as Georg Fischer and Abu Hussein) {{lived|1912|2001 or 2010}}. Brunner had organized the deportation of 128,500 Jews in France to extermination camps. Brunner escaped prosecution and eventually found refuge in Syria where he became a confidant of Hafez al-Assad and his family. Following Assad's [[coup]], "Brunner then helped the new regime set up an effective system of repression, inspired by the practices of the [[Third Reich]] (he really puts the ass in Assad, doesn’t he?)."<ref>[https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20241212-alois-brunner-the-nazi-war-criminal-at-home-in-assad-s-syria Alois Brunner, the Nazi war criminal at home in Assad's Syria] by Grégoire Sauvage (12/12/2024 - 17:56) ''France 24''.</ref>

==Civil War==
===The players===
Bashar is an Alawite, i.e. member of a [[Shi'a Islam|Shia]] minority, ruling a 74% [[Sunni]] majority country. This alone divides him from [[Jordan]], pre-invasion [[Iraq]], Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and (of course) his own people. However, he is not alone, as [[Hezbollah]] in nearby [[Lebanon]] is Shia, which is why they are assisting him in his fight.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-aleppo-fall-insi-idUSKBN1431PV "Hezbollah, other Shi'ite allies helped Assad win in Aleppo"], Reuters (12/14/16 at 10:55am EST).</ref>

Bashar is the son of the former President, Hafez Assad. Hafez was more capable than his son, or at least was able to suppress a Syrian {{wpl|1982 Hama massacre|revolt}} before it became a full-blown civil war (he leveled the city of Hama in 1982, killing some 20,000+ of his own citizens). The event earned the family a bad rep with Islamists who support the Muslim Brotherhood.

Hafez was also, frankly, a dictator who was involved in a lot of [[Cold War]] bullshit. As a result, what is playing out in Syria is a lame proxy war with [[Iran]] and its allies vs. [[Saudi Arabia]] and its allies.<ref>Abrams, Elliot, [http://www.newsweek.com/assads-war-survival-syria-now-irans-war-352215 "Assad’s War for Survival in Syria Is Now Iran’s War"], ''Newsweek'' (7/10/15 at 11:02 AM).</ref> Then throw in some U.S. v. [[Russia]] [[Gunboat diplomacy|dick-waving]], with Russia attempting to prop up Assad (their ally) under the guise of "fighting [[ISIS]]".<ref>Boghani, Priyanka, [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/syria-whats-in-it-for-putin/ "Syria: What’s In It For Putin?"], ''[[PBS|Frontline]]'' 10/27/14.</ref> The U.S. mostly wants Assad gone but doesn't want groups like Al-Nusra or ISIS to take his place.

===2011-2016===
The protests against Assad's government began on 26 January 2011; In May, [[Barack Obama]] signed an executive order imposing sanctions upon him.<ref>[http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1181.aspx " Administration Takes Additional Steps to Hold the Government of Syria Accountable for Violent Repression Against the Syrian People"], US Treasury</ref> Bashar saw what happened to [[Saddam Hussein|Saddam]], and when the [[Arab Spring]] heated up, he knew the time had come for the U.S. to change leaders they didn't like. Assad wasn't going to go down without a fight. When munitions and cash poured in from the Saudis, [[Qatar]], and [[Turkey]],<ref>[http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-qatar-saudis-agreed-put-pressure-syrian-rebels-russia-1384393368 "Turkey, Qatar, Saudis agreed to put pressure on Syrian rebels: Russia"], MEE (Updated 10/18/16 at 10:30 om UTC).</ref> he countered by bringing in [[Hezbollah]], Iran, and Russia.<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/iraq-russia-iran-syria-coordinate-isil-150927125919507.html "Iraq, Russia, Iran and Syria coordinate against ISIL"], [[Al Jazeera]] 9.27.15.</ref> Russia and [[China]] vetoed a [[United Nations|U.N.]] Security Council resolution that would have allowed for international military intervention in Syria.<ref>Paul Harris, Martin Chulov, David Batty, and Damien Pearse, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/04/assad-obama-resign-un-resolution "Syria resolution vetoed by Russia and China at United Nations"], ''[[Guardian]]'' (2/4/12 at 5:28 EST).</ref>

[[Obama]]'s "red line",<ref>Kessler, Glenn, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2013/09/06/president-obama-and-the-red-line-on-syrias-chemical-weapons/ "President Obama and the ‘red line’ on Syria’s chemical weapons"], [[WaPo]] 9.3.13.</ref> and Assad ''crossing'' said line, gave hope to a lot of rebels. Shiites aren't stupid: they knew Assad stood no chance against the U.S. When the said line was not enforced, many interviews showed how disheartened rebels felt by the U.S. and its lackluster support.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-mood-idUSBRE9800A920130901 "Syrians relieved, disappointed at Obama strike delay"], Reuters (9/1/13 at 12:06pm EDT).</ref> Instead, the U.S. ordered airstrikes to defend Syrian rebels trained by the U.S. military from any attackers, even if said enemies hail from forces loyal to Assad.<ref>Stewart, Phil, [http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/03/us-mideast-crisis-syria-usa-idUSKCN0Q803Y20150803 "First U.S.-trained Syria rebel believed killed in fighting: sources"], Reuters (8/3/15 at 6:12pm EDT).</ref>

Still, there was increasing pressure coming from Western and [[Sunni]] Arab capitals to support an insurgency; the problem is it turned out to be [[Salafi]]ist, and the situation became so complicated, nobody knows who to support anymore. Assad himself had been described as "[[Hitler]] in his bunker" as he didn't seem to know how badly the war was going.<ref>[http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/digital/2015/01/28/-Sociopath-or-new-Hitler-Interviewer-questions-Assad-s-mental-state.html "‘Sociopath or new Hitler?’ Interviewer questions Assad’s mental state"], Al Aarabiya (ENG) 1.28.15.</ref>

===Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes===
On April 4, 2017, Assad's government was responsible for a {{wpl|Khan Shaykhun chemical attack|sarin gas attack.}}<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un/syrian-government-to-blame-for-april-sarin-attack-u-n-report-idUSKBN1CV3GP Syrian government to blame for April sarin attack: U.N. report]. Reuters. October 27, 2017.</ref> The next day, the newly-minted President [[Donald Trump|Trump]] decided to get Bashar's attention. It was a surprisingly measured attack: the Pentagon made sure not to put any Syrian (or Russian) air defenses and pilots at risk.<ref>McKernan, [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-air-strikes-us-russia-warn-ahead-airbase-donald-trump-putin-missile-attack-tomohawk-cruise-a7671736.html "Syria air strikes: US ‘warned Russia ahead of airbase missile bombardment'"], ''Independent'' (4/7/17 at 11:42 AM BST).</ref> This gives Russia an out. [[Putin]] doesn't care about Assad, anyway, he wants access to the port of Tartus.<ref>Delman, Edward, [https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/navy-base-syria-crimea-putin/408694/ "The Link Between Putin’s Military Campaigns in Syria and Ukraine"], ''Atlantic'' 10.2.15.</ref>

The following day, U.N. Ambassador [[Nikki Haley]] said that the regime change in Syria "is going to happen."<ref>Morin, Rebecca, [https://secure.politico.com/story/2017/04/nikki-haley-syria-regime-change-237033 "Haley: Regime change in Syria 'we think is going to happen'"], Politico (04/08/17 at 7:25 PM EDT).</ref> As every observer of the Middle East knows, outside intervention is invariably successful.{{lie}}

Many Trump supporters disliked the action of bombing the Syrian airbase as they wanted Trump to keep his close ties with Russia.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXuV64hp4dk The Truth About Trump's Air Strike on Syria.] [[Paul Joseph Watson]] ([[YouTube]]), April 7, 2017.</ref><ref>[https://grrrgraphics.com/angels-and-demons/ Angels and Demons.] [[Ben Garrison]]'s blog.</ref>
===Downfall===
For a while in the 2020s, the war seemed to become much quieter. However, in late November and early December 2024, rebel forces made significant advances in Aleppo and other parts of the southwestern regions of the nation, Assad's government forces are completely defenseless, 99% of heavy equipment was captured by the rebels.<ref>{{cite web | last=Janovsky | first=Jakub | title=2024 Syrian Rebel Offensive and the Resulting Collapse of the Regime Military in Northern Syria | website=Oryx | date=2024-12-07 | url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2024/12/a-3-day-smo-done-right-2024-syrian.html | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> and on December 7th, the rebels entered Damascus and Asaad resigned and fled the next day.

After some confusion is was confirmed that Assad and his family had fled to Moscow in December 2024 and was granted asylum.<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1986273/bashar-al-assad-location-confirmed-kremlin-statement-russia Bashar al-Assad location confirmed as Russia breaks silence on Putin's latest move] The Express, December 9, 2024</ref>

In March 2025, Assad loyalists such as the Coastal Shield Brigade launched an uprising that was quickly defeated after clashes between Alawites and armed militias of the new Syrian government.<ref>{{cite web | last=Mroue | first=Bassem | title=Syria's government signs a breakthrough deal with Kurdish-led authorities in the northeast | website=AP News | date=2025-03-10 | url=https://apnews.com/article/syria-hts-clashes-alawites-sunnis-lattakia-assad-b92c8532c40a3c7105ba32307ffaef48 | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> Since then, it's just a bunch of assholes complaining about the "secularism can't save Syrians" nonsense. The new government is gaining recognition in the United States and Europe.

==Something good==
{{main|Stopped clock}}
Assad has denounced Islamism and condemned the Islamic world’s refusal to accept and embrace secularism, referring to the current system as “political Islam”.<ref>[http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrias-assad-says-political-islam-project-has-failed.aspx?pageID=238&nID=64682&NewsCatID=352 "Syria's Assad says political Islam project has failed"], Hurriyet Daily News 4.7.14.</ref>

After a 52 year ban, Assad allowed Syrian [[Kurd]]s to teach the Kurdish language in schools.<ref>[http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/syria-kurdistan-self-governance-teach-kurdish-language.html "After 52-year ban, Syrian Kurds now taught Kurdish in schools"], Al-Monitor Nov. 2015.</ref> He also struck a deal with the Syrian Kurds to keep them safe to prevent their extermination in the hands of Turkish military forces after American military forces withdrew from Iraq and Syria.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/14/middleeast/syria-turkey-kurds-civilians-isis-intl-hnk/index.html Kurdish forces backed by US strike deal with Syria’s Assad, in major shift in 8-year war] CNN</ref>

==You have a talent for causing things pain==
{{cquote|Al Assad, or we set the country on fire.|||Alawites professed their loyalty with this chant.<ref>Nguyen-Phuong-Mai, Mai, [http://theislamicmonthly.com/syrian-alawites-their-history-their-future/ "Syrian Alawites: Their history, their future"], The Islamic Monthly (10/28/15 at 3:15 pm).</ref>}}

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reported that since the beginning of the conflict until June 2022, a total of 228,893 civilians have died, of which about 200,391 were killed by the Assad regime and Iranian-backed militias, and another 6,928 were killed by Russian airstrikes. So Assad is by far the most serious contender for the most murderous award of 21 century. It has caused about four times as many civilian deaths as Sudan's RSF, the second-place contender for the prize.<ref>https://syrianobserver.com/foreign-actors/91-of-civilian-deaths-caused-by-syrian-regime-and-russian-forces-rights-group.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com</ref>

During the 1970s and 80s when his father ruled, the Syrian intelligence service (known as the Mukhabarat) became notorious for torture and disappearances of the regime's opponents.<ref>Amnesty International, [https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/mde240091987en.pdf Syria: Torture by the Security Forces]; 10/1987</ref> Nazi fugitive Alois Brunner lived in Syria and is believed to have taught torture methods to the Mukhabarat. <ref>BBC, [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38586945 Nazi war criminal Alois Brunner 'died in Syria squalor']</ref> After the death of Hafez, much of the machinery of [[State terrorism|state terror]] remained in place and was passed onto his son. This included a network of prisons and secret detention centers where detainees were subjected to a documented 72 methods of torture. Some of these methods include beatings, electric shocks, pulling out nails, igniting and dissolving nylon bags on the skin, eye gouging and the infamous "German chair" where a person is lashed to the back of a metal chair which is then pushed forward causing spinal damage.<ref>Syrian Network for Human Rights, [https://snhr.org/wp-content/pdf/english/Documentation_of_72_Torture_Methods_the_Syrian_Regime_Continues_to_Practice_in_Its_Detention_Centers_and_Military_Hospitals_en.pdf Documentation of 72 Torture Methods the Syrian Regime Continues to Practice in Its Detention Centers and Military Hospitals], 10/21/2019</ref>

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) estimates that, from March 2011 until March 2023, 105,000 Syrian detainees died in regime prisons due to torture, executions and maltreatment.<ref>Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, [https://www.syriahr.com/en/292176/ Detainees and forcibly-disappeared people in 12 years of Syria war, 03/16/2023]</ref> This figure includes tens of thousands of detainees who perished in 
hell
 Sednaya prison, which was called a "human slaughterhouse" by Amnesty International. About 13,000 prisoners are believed to have been executed in mass hangings at Sednaya and countless others were tortured to death. New detainees were typically subjected to a 'welcome party' where they were severely beaten with pipes and electrical cables.<ref>Amnesty International, [https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde24/5415/2017/en/ Syria: Human slaughterhouse: Mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya Prison, Syria, 02/07/2017]</ref> 91% of civilian deaths during the civil war were caused by Assad's government/Iran/Russia.<ref>https://www.newarab.com/news/syria-regime-and-russia-caused-91-deaths-report?utm_source=chatgpt.com</ref>

He also oppressed the indigenous minorities of Syria,<ref>Porter, Lizzie, [http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/former-detainees-recount-torture-organ-harvesting-syrias-prisons-818566835 "Former detainees recount torture, organ harvesting in Syria's prisons"], MEE (8/29/16 at 7:34 PM UTC).</ref> banning them from speaking their own language,<ref>Pampiliega, Antonio, [http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/turkmen-in-joint-battle-for-syria-democracy_12691 "Turkmen in joint battle for Syria democracy"], Your Middle East 1.31.13.</ref> and sent loyal Alawites<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-alawites-sect-idUSTRE8110Q720120202 "Syria's Alawites, a secretive and persecuted sect"], Reuters (2/2/12 at 6:10am EST).</ref> to settle those areas in order to extract their resources. There are more ways than the neo-colonial method to be "[[imperialist]]".<ref>Khalil, Yusef, [https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/01/syria-war-crisis-refugees-assad-dictatorship-arab-spring-intervention-russia/ "Syria and the Left"], ''Jacobin'' 1.9/17.</ref>

Assad's administration carried out direct orders of genocidal campaigns against Kurds, pagans, Christians, Jews, African migrants, and the LGBT community.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Rise of the Far Right Is a Global Phenomenon | website=In These Times | date=2023-11-21 | url=https://inthesetimes.com/article/global-far-right-meloni-milei-putin-bannon-orban | ref={{sfnref|In These Times|2023}} | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref>

In 2024 there were allegations that one of Assad's allies killed prisoners and fed them to lions. The allegation accused Talal Dakkak specifically for this, according to some of the Syrian rebels.<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/assads-tiger-forces-member-who-34291604. Assad's Tiger Forces member who fed prisoners to pet lion 'executed' by Syrian rebels], 11 December 2024, The Mirror.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Ba'ath Party]]
*[[Saddam Hussein]] - another Baathist socialist turned fascist.
*[[Muammar al-Gaddafi]]
*[[Qasem Soleimani]] – Major offensives by Iranian militias always started after a 'visit' from Soleimani.
*[[Islamic State in Iraq and Syria]] - his arch nemesis.
*[[Nepotism president]]

==External links==
*[http://www.hrw.org/en/node/91580/section/4 Human rights violations in Syria]
*[http://gawker.com/asma-al-assad-a-rose-in-the-desert-1265002284 "A Rose in the Desert"] - ''Vogue'' removed this profile of his waifu from their website. The biggest laugh to be had from it: Assad was attracted to eye surgery "because there is very little blood."
*[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/us/politics/donald-trump-syria-twitter.html Trump on Syria: How he evolved in 13 Tweets]
*{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgiyWGyJcIc} "God Syria and Bashaar" A hilarious propaganda song praising Bashaar
* {https://youtu.be/P2X84JZINcI} (A New York Times video on the use of chemical weapons by Assad).

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assad, Bashar al-}}
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