- Assad has cast himself as the sole architect of a reconstruction phase for the war-ravaged country
- Having overseen total destruction of his country in civil war, he is expected to become more autocratic
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is likely to be reelected as the president of the war-scarred Syria in the elections scheduled to take place on Wednesday, according to media reports. With his campaign slogan, “Hope through work”, Assad has cast himself as the sole architect of a reconstruction phase for the war-ravaged country.
Campaigning against the backdrop of bloodshed and near-total destruction of an entire country, Assad, with the military support of Russia and Iran, has been unwavering in the belief he would crush a rebellion that he says was waged by “terrorists” seeking to overthrow his government with assistance from the West and Arab Gulf countries.
A man with a taste for business suits, Assad has always shunned the military garb favored by the former strongmen such as Saddam Hussein and Moamer Kadhafi. In official meetings, during interviews and even on the frontlines, the cold and enigmatic 55-year-old can almost appear timid. But he speaks calmly but firmly, pausing briefly at moments to flash a coy smile.
One journalist, who met with Assad on several occasions before and after war broke out in 2011, told the media that he is a “unique and complex figure.” “Each time I met him he was calm… even during the most difficult moments of the war,” the journalist, who declined to be named, said.
Assad has “the same qualities” as his father Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for nearly three decades until his death in 2000, he said. “In politics, it’s important to know how to shuffle cards, not just how to arrange them,” the journalist added. “Assad has mastered the shuffling game.”
Assad’s life changed radically when his older brother Bassel, who was being groomed to inherit power from their father, was killed in a road accident in 1994. He quit his studies in ophthalmology and left London where he had met his wife Asma, a British-Syrian and Sunni Muslim who worked for financial services firm J.P. Morgan.
In Syria, he took a course in military studies and was tutored in politics by his father. When the latter died Bashar became president by referendum, running unopposed, then winning a second term in 2007. Sworn in at the age of 34, Assad was widely seen by Syrians pining for reform as a reformer, who could do away with years of repression and introduce economic liberalization.
In the early days, Assad would be seen driving his own car or having dinner at restaurants with his wife. He relaxed some of the heavy restrictions that existed under his father. But his efforts at reforming Syria quickly evaporated as authorities arrested and jailed academics, intellectuals and other members of what was then known as the Damascus Spring movement.
When the Arab Spring reached Syria in March 2011, peaceful demonstrations broke out calling for change. Assad, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, responded by ordering a brutal crackdown on the protesters and civil war swiftly ensued.
Throughout the war, that has killed more than 388,000 people and displaced half the population, Assad’s position has not changed — and he has shown no inclination to step down.