Bashar Assad

Bashar Assad
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Name:
Bashar Assad
Real name:
Bashar Hafez al-Assad
Who is:
, President of Syria
Birth date:
(59 y.o.)
Place of birth:
Damascus, Damascus Governorate, Syria
Height:
6'2 ft ()
Weight:
172 lb (78 kg)
Birth Sign:
(characteristic)
Chinese zodiac:
Links:

Photos: Bashar Assad

Bashar Assad photo 1
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Bashar Assad photo 3
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+13 Photos

Biography of Bashar Al-Assad

Bashar Al-Assad is a Syrian politician who became president in 2000. He also serves as general secretary of the ruling Ba'ath party and belongs to the Nusayri community. Net worth: $1.5 billion.
Syrian politician Bashar Al-Assad
Syrian politician Bashar Al-Assad

Early years and Bashar Al-Assad's family

On September 11, 1965, Bashar was born as the third child to Syrian air defense and air force general Hafez al-Assad. Soon after, his father became Minister of Defense and seized power in the country in 1971.
Bashar al-Assad as a Child
Bashar al-Assad as a Child
Bashar's mother, from the aristocratic Haddadin tribe, focused primarily on educating her four sons alongside her politician husband. Also, Bashar had a sister named Bushra.

For his early education, Bashar predictably attended the prestigious metropolitan high school al-Hurriya, where many children of the political elite studied. During his school years, Bashar studied the main European languages, including English, which the politician speaks fluently.
Bashar al-Assad and his family
Bashar al-Assad and his family
After finishing school, Assad chose to study medicine and enrolled at the metropolitan Medical University. It is worth noting that his father once dreamed of becoming a doctor. In 1988, Bashar graduated cum laude and became an ophthalmologist, after which he went on to have an internship in a military hospital near Damascus.

After completing his hospital internship, Bashar moved to London to train at St. Mary's Hospital. In 1991, none of his London colleagues knew who this gifted young man really was – he was even using a different name. At the new workplace, Bashar proved himself to be a good professional. He communicated with intellectuals, and besides medicine was fond of computers.
Bashar Al-Assad in his youth
Bashar Al-Assad in his youth
Tragedy forced him to return home on January 21, 1994. The President's eldest son, Bassel al-Assad, who had been groomed from childhood as his father's successor, died in a fatal car accident – losing control at 130 km/h and crashing into a concrete wall. Bassel died on the spot, while Rami Makhluf, his cousin and Bashar's future closest ally, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was taken to hospital in serious condition. After the death of Bassel, Bashar became the main candidate for the Syrian "throne".

Bashar Al-Assad's political career

The young man was trained at the military academy of Homs. He gradually became a regular presence in top government offices, taking on multiple positions simultaneously: he became an adviser to the president, headed the country's security service, as well as the anti-corruption committee. While still in high school, he became acquainted with an entire generation of elite children, and later lobbied for their economic interests during his rule.
Bashar Al-Assad succeeds his father
Bashar Al-Assad succeeds his father
With Bashar responsible for national security, he was already participating in resolving the complex "Lebanese issue" by 1999. His excellent command of languages also allowed Assad to receive diplomatic delegations alongside his father.

Years of dedicated work to build his reputation earned the young man genuine support from the Syrian people. He was considered a progressive and fair politician. For example, Syria gained Internet access (1998) and mobile communications (2000) thanks to the young al-Assad.

When his father died of heart failure in 2000, Bashar al-Assad became the clear favorite for both the presidency and leadership of the ruling Ba'ath party. The only obstacle was the age limit for presidential candidates, but Parliament quickly addressed this minor obstacle and promptly amended the country's constitution, lowering the minimum age requirement from 40 to 34 years.

Bashar Al-Assad – President of Syria

In 2000, 34-year-old Bashar al-Assad was elected president by an absolute majority. Like his father, he was given the military rank of general and supreme commander of the Syrian army.
Bashar Al-Assad – President of Syria
Bashar Al-Assad – President of Syria
Initially, the young president pursued more liberal policies: he helped ease the regime and encouraged political pluralism by supporting alternative political parties, announced the first independent print publication, and pardoned political prisoners. In 2005, he agreed to withdraw armed forces from neighbouring Lebanon. He also opened the first private banks and universities and established the stock market—all positive steps forward.

In 2007, he won uncontested presidential elections—essentially a federal referendum—where 97.6% of Syrian residents supported his candidacy.

In early 2011, a political crisis began in Syria. Protest tensions were rising across the country. The Syrian government made some concessions, in particular, promising to implement some radical reforms. The constitutional provision that guaranteed the ruling Ba'ath party's special position was annulled, and Assad announced he would lift the state of emergency that had been in place since 1963. On March 29, 2011, Bashar al-Assad accepted the government's resignation and formed a new cabinet.
The rule of Bashar Al-Assad caused popular unrest
The rule of Bashar Al-Assad caused popular unrest
Despite these reforms, protest sentiments didn't diminish. On April 21, the state of emergency was finally lifted, but that didn't help either. Armed riots and anti-government protests began in the country. A taste of freedom for the opposition meant civil war for Assad, since those who disagreed demanded the impossible—political reforms unacceptable to the ruling family, particularly the president's resignation.

The decision to use the army to disperse protesters led to mass casualties among the opposition—by the end of May, various estimates put the number of victims among dissenters at over one thousand. The opposition accused the army of using chemical weapons of mass destruction. These allegations were regularly heard in subsequent years.

In May 2011, the US and EU imposed sanctions against Syria. The country lost supplies of Western weapons, while foreign bank accounts of the Syrian government elite, including Assad's own accounts, were frozen.
Syria under Bashar Al-Assad's rule found itself strangled by sanctions
Syria under Bashar Al-Assad's rule found itself strangled by sanctions
Despite widespread discontent, Assad had no doubt he would retain the presidency after the 2014 elections. Indeed, on June 3, 2014, in the conditions of incessant civil war, Bashar Assad was elected for a third presidential term.

ISIL posed the biggest threat to his grip on power and the country's stability. Meanwhile, the opposition had backing from major European countries, the United States, and regional neighbors - Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Facing overwhelming enemy forces by late 2015, Bashar al-Assad officially reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help.
Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad in Russia
Putin and the Federation Council agreed, deploying military forces to combat terrorists and help Damascus regain control of the country. Russian companies Stroytransgaz and Tatneft had already been operating in Syria for about ten years, which easily explained Russia's economic interests.

Bashar Al-Assad's personal life

A year into his first presidential term, Assad married childhood friend Asma al-Akhras, daughter of a respected cardiologist from a Syrian Sunni family. His choice may have been influenced by his father's death from heart failure.
Bashar Al-Assad's wife - Asma al-Akhras
The young woman was a certified economist and a specialist in computer technology. She spent most of her life in London, where she was educated. She also interned at JP Morgan bank there.
Bashar Al-Assad with his wife and children
Bashar Al-Assad with his wife and children
After their marriage and return to Syria, Asma al-Akhras gave birth to two sons and a daughter. In 2008, French magazine Elle ranked her as the most beautiful among presidents' wives.

Bashar Al-Assad now

Just years ago, Bashar al-Assad was respected in the West as a democratic reformer. But after Middle East destabilization and the worsening ISIL crisis, most Western media now brand him a "bloody dictator." Still, Bashar al-Assad insists he won't step down voluntarily.
Vladimir Putin held talks with Bashar al-Assad in Moscow
  • I don`t understand anything about politics, but I often hear the name of Assad on the news. He is a very handsome man and educated.
    2021-04-23 17:08:54
  • Assad should be ashamed that his citizens are fleeing poverty and wars to other countries in search of a better life!
    2021-04-22 17:10:02
  • So interesting the fate of Assad. He had a talent for medicine, but he had to govern the whole state.
    2021-04-18 19:42:14
  • How many wars have been, how many blood and tears have been shed. I feel sorry for the civilians in Syria.
    2021-03-15 12:56:41
  • How could the country be brought to such a state... Shame on Assad.
    2021-03-12 09:46:06
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