Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: biography, family, political activities
The Syrian issue is now on the agenda in almost all media. Politicians are actively discussing how to stop hostilities and who is to blame for the mass death of the local population. The President of Syria is quite often presented by the Western press as the culprit and initiator of the war in the country. Although, according to other sources, he is directly involved in the peaceful settlement of the conflict. Who is the real Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? What do we know about him?
President of Syria: biography
Bashar Hafez al-Assad (thus his full name sounds) was born in Damascus on September 11, one thousand nine hundred and sixty-five. His family belongs to the smallest branch of Islam - the Alawites. Bashar received an excellent education at Damascus University, and later continued his studies in London, where he was engaged in scientific activities. By profession, the President of Syria is an ophthalmologist; in London, he led a successful medical practice. He was predicted to be a doctor, but in 1994 he had to return to Syria and become the right hand of his father Hafez al-Assad.
After his death in 2000, he was elected by popular referendum to the post of head of Syria and has held it ever since. During the presidency of Bashar al-Assad, the country was drawn into a complex military conflict with the religious association "Islamic State", the beginning of which was laid by the former president of Syria. Military operations are ongoing to this day. More than 300,000 people have already died in the clashes.
The President of Syria is married and has three children - two sons and a daughter. Assad is the most controversial politician in the history of Syria, he combines the desire to preserve centuries-old Eastern traditions and foundations with a policy of reforms that contribute to the rapprochement of the state with the Western world. At the moment, Assad's policy is supported by the Russian government.
Bashar al-Assad family
The current president of Syria was born in a very close-knit family. Bashar himself was the third child among five siblings. Therefore, no one thought that over time he would have to replace his father as head of the country. His elder brother Basel was prophesied for this position. At the time of Bashar's birth, his father Hafez served as commander of the Syrian troops, a few years later he received the position of the main person in the country - the president.
Education of the future president of Syria
From childhood, Bashar al-Assad was taught several languages, in addition to his native Arabic, he is fluent in French and English. He graduated from the Arabic-French Lyceum with honors and went to serve in the army.
Bashar's dream was to continue his studies, he showed a clear inclination towards medicine. After demobilization, the future president of Syria entered Damascus University and graduated from it with a course in ophthalmology. He was trained in military hospitals of the country. In 1991, his father sent Bashar to Oxford for further internships, where he stayed for four years.
Arriving in England, the future president took a different surname so that no one would see him as the son of the Syrian leader. All Assad's fellow students note that he often took part in scientific congresses and symposiums. He was an extremely non-confrontational person, distinguished by good manners and intelligence. He was predicted a great future, especially since ophthalmology was his true calling.
Stages on the path to the presidency
At the end of January 1994, Basil Assad crashed his car on the way to the airport. This tragic event radically changed the fate of the young doctor Bashar. After his father's telegram, he had to abandon all his business in London and return to Damascus.
Now the middle son of Hafez al-Assad was becoming the successor to the incumbent president, and he had to urgently delve into the affairs of his father. Immediately after returning home, Bashar entered the military academy and began to command the troops. Four years later, he rose to the rank of colonel and headed the anti-corruption department.
In June 2000, as a result of a heart attack, Hafez Assad left this world and the young Bashar became the commander-in-chief of the Syrian army. At that time, he was separated from the presidency by the country's legislation. The fact is that according to the laws of Syria, the president cannot be younger than forty years. How old was the President of Syria at that time? Surprisingly, Bashar was only thirty-four years old and became the youngest president in the world. In addition, it is safe to say that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has opened a new chapter in the history of his country.
Personal life of Bashar al-Assad
In 2001, after becoming president, Bashar married a girl from a very wealthy and intelligent family, Asma al-Ahras. Her family has long been acquainted with the Assad family and their love did not come as something unexpected.
For fifteen years of family life, Asma gave birth to her husband's sons Karim and Hafez and daughter Zein. Many journalists believe that Bashar owes his incredible popularity to his charming and active wife. She supports her husband's political activities in everything and leads an active life as the first lady. She is constantly seen in hospitals, war zones and orphanages. To date, the Assad couple is called in the press the most beautiful and harmonious couple in the world of politics.
The wife of the President of Syria Asma al-Assad: a brief biography
Asma was born in 1975 in London. Her parents were very influential in Syria and the West. The father of the president's future wife is one of the most famous cardiologists, and her mother worked as a diplomat in the Syrian embassy. From childhood, the girl absorbed the basics of Western culture, but at the same time she was brought up on the cultural values of her native country. Asma has dual citizenship, at the moment she is a citizen of the UK and Syria.
The Assad and Ahras families were friends and always met during the long summer holidays. Therefore, the future wife of the President of Syria was friends with Bashar from an early age and had the most tender feelings for him.
Asma Assad has a flexible analytical mind. In England, she studied computer technology and French literature. During this period, she was in close contact with the future Syrian president, and they often spent time together. After graduation, Asma received a prestigious position in one of the largest American banks, but the changes in the fate of Bashar changed her life dramatically.
After his return to Damascus, Asma wrote a letter of resignation from the bank and finally moved to Syria. Although her parents still live in the UK.
Asma Assad's role in her husband's political activities
Asma plays a significant role in the development of her husband's career. She imperceptibly and very carefully directs him, as is characteristic only of oriental women. Surprisingly, the Western media has always accused Asma of excessive restraint, refusal of jewelry and elegance atypical for Eastern women. But the Syrian press has always considered the president's wife too frank, because she is Western-style elegant and does not wear a headscarf. She allows herself to appear in public with bare shoulders and neck. Many believe that Asma is able to do the incredible - to reconcile the eastern and western worlds with her intellect and mercy.
At the moment, Asma Assad is raising three children and constantly takes part in various television programs, trying to convey to the world the position of Syria regarding the civil war in the country. In addition to this, she is the most frequent visitor to hospitals and shelters.
Where does the Assad couple live in Damascus?
The palace of the President of Syria was built in the late eighties. The construction was started by his father, who commissioned the project to a well-known Japanese architect. With today's money, the construction of the residence cost Syria one billion dollars.
But it is used mainly for official meetings - neither the initiator of the construction nor the current president has ever favored this building. Despite the fact that it is made with the grandeur and luxury inherent in oriental palaces, the residence creates a feeling of emptiness and is filled with gloomy shadows.
The total area of the palace is five hundred thousand squares, it is located on a hill and resembles an impregnable fortress. Those who had the honor to visit the palace noted that its walls could withstand any siege, and the high windows looked more like loopholes.
Bashar al-Assad's political activities: the president's views on foreign and domestic policy
Bashar al-Assad at the beginning of his career supported his father's position on the Arab-Israeli conflict. He advocated the expulsion of Israel from the Syrian territories it occupied in 1967. Such intransigence caused discontent in the West and the United States. Assad was accused of supporting terrorists, supplying weapons to Iraq and sponsoring Lebanese opposition forces.
The military conflict in Lebanon, in which Syria was drawn back in the days of Hafez al-Assad, served as an impetus to destabilize the situation inside the country. Western politicians have done everything to accuse Assad of organizing the assassination of one of the most influential Lebanese politicians.
This led to anti-government demonstrations in Syria. Bashar al-Assad denied all accusations against him and patiently explained his position to the world community. In parallel, he tried in every possible way to return the country to a peaceful path. Assad introduced several reforms, but the situation continued to deteriorate. In 2011, a bloody civil war broke out in Syria.
Civil War: balance of power
At the moment, the war in the country has been going on for five years. During this period, the opposition, which advocates the overthrow of the Assad regime, formed its own army and received the support of terrorists. Many Russian politicians believe that the West is trying to put pressure on Assad, and therefore sponsors the continuation of hostilities.
When are the presidential elections in Syria?
Presidential elections in Syria take place once every seven years. After Bashar al-Assad came to power, he twice participated in the elections. The first took the form of a referendum and were held in 2007. Then the candidacy of the incumbent president was supported by more than 90% of the entire population of the country.
In 2014, there were repeated elections, where out of 24 candidates, Bashar al-Assad received 88% of the vote. This proves that the Syrian people support the policy of their president and hope that the sun will finally shine over the country in the near future.
