Bashar al-Assad
Profile Analysis: Bashar al-Assad
January 14, 2014
This article has been produced by the efforts of the following members:
I. Jamie Arabi – Student Researcher for the Syrian Risk Assessment Team
Supervised by Conor McGarvey – Team Leader; Syria
Bashar Hafez al-Assad (left), born on September 11, 1965 in Damascus, Syria is the current president of Syria and leader of the Syrian Ba’ath Party.[1] Destined for a career in the medical field, al-Assad completed his residency at the Hishreen military hospital in Damascus in 1988, and later, worked at the Western Eye Hospital in London, England in 1992.[2]
The trajectory of al-Assad’s career, however, changed after the death of his brother, Bassel–who was to succeed his father, Hafez al-Assad, as the president of Syria.[3] Beginning in 1994, al-Assad was groomed for political office, as he became an increasingly influential actor within the realm of public affairs.[4] Additionally, by 1999, al-Assad became a colonel in the Syrian military, allowing him to surround himself with loyal military executives.[5]
After becoming president in 2000, encroachments by anti-Ba’athist reformers led al-Assad to enact draconian, repressive laws.[6] These methods of governing were continued throughout the ongoing Syrian Civil War, which erupted in 2011 as a result of Syrian protesters’ call for political reform, amongst other demands.[7] Also telling is al-Assad’s relationships with far right-wing political affiliations such as Greece’s neo-Nazi party, Golden Dawn. [8]
