Bashar al-Assad's journey from being an ophthalmologist to the presidency began with a "coincidence."

08.12.2024 10:30

After the opposition captured the capital Damascus in Syria, it is reported that Bashar al-Assad fled the country by plane. His journey to the presidency began when his brother died in an accident while he was training in London to specialize in ophthalmology.

The path to Bashar al-Assad's rise to the presidency of Syria began with the death of his older brother Basil in a car accident near Damascus in early 1994. During this time, plans were made to prepare Assad, who was training as an ophthalmologist in London, for power in Syria after Basil's death. How did Assad, who led a civil war that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of millions, transform from a doctor into a dictator accused of war crimes?

FATHER'S LEGACY

Bashar al-Assad was born in 1965 as the child of Hafez al-Assad and Anisa Makhlouf. At the time of his birth, significant developments were taking place in Syria, the Middle East, and beyond. Arab nationalism dominated regional politics in many countries, including Syria.

The Alawite community to which the Assad family belonged was one of the most disadvantaged groups in Syria, and due to these difficulties, many Alawites joined the Syrian Army. Hafez al-Assad emerged as an officer and a staunch supporter of the Ba'ath Party, becoming Minister of Defense in 1966. After consolidating power, Hafez al-Assad became the President of Syria in 1971 and held this title until his death in 2000. This long period of rule contrasted with the era of independence marked by a series of military coups in Syria.

Hafez al-Assad ruled his country with an iron fist, suppressing opposition and rejecting democratic elections. However, he pursued a pragmatic line in foreign policy. While forming an alliance with the Soviet Union, he joined the U.S.-led coalition in the Gulf War in 1991.

STUDIED MEDICINE IN LONDON

Bashar al-Assad decided to pursue a career in medicine and moved to England in 1992 for ophthalmology specialization at the Western Eye Hospital in London after graduating from the University of Damascus. Here, Assad, who adopted Western values, also met his future wife, Asma al-Akhras, in London. As the second son of Hafez al-Assad, Bashar largely remained in the shadow of his older brother Basil. Basil's death in January 1994 significantly changed the direction of Bashar's life. He was immediately recalled from London and preparations began to make him the next leader of Syria. Bashar joined the army and started to build a public image for his future role.

ASSAD BECAME PRESIDENT

Hafez al-Assad died in June 2004, and 34-year-old Bashar became the country's president after the age requirement of 40 in the Syrian constitution was changed. When Bashar al-Assad took the presidential oath in the summer of 2000, he had a different political tone. He spoke of "transparency, democracy, development, modernization, accountability, and institutional thinking." Months after becoming president, he married Asma Akhras. They had three children named Hafez, Zein, and Karim.

Initially, Bashar al-Assad's rhetoric on political reform and media freedom created hope among Syrians. His leadership style and Asma's Western education were seen as signs of a new era. During this time, a civil debate and environment of freedom of expression known as the "Damascus Spring" occurred in Syria. However, security forces returned to repression and arrests of dissenters in 2001. Bashar al-Assad also implemented limited economic reforms aimed at promoting the development of the private sector. In the early years of his leadership, his cousin Rami Makhlouf also rose to prominence, establishing a vast economic empire.

IRAQ WAR

The Iraq War in 2003 caused a significant deterioration in relations between Bashar al-Assad and Western governments. The Syrian president opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Some attributed this stance to fears that Syria would be the next target of American interventions in the region. In December 2003, the U.S. began imposing sanctions on Damascus for various reasons, which were linked not only to Iraq but also to Syria's presence in Lebanon.

ARAB SPRING

In the first 10 years of Bashar al-Assad's rule, Syria's relations with Iran strengthened, and relations with Qatar and Turkey also grew. However, despite the support Riyadh initially gave to the young president, relations with Saudi Arabia were tumultuous. Bashar al-Assad generally followed in his father's footsteps in foreign policy, avoiding direct military confrontations while maneuvering carefully. After 10 years in power, while dissenting voices continued to be suppressed, Assad's regime could be described as authoritarian.

In December 2010, his wife Asma al-Assad gave an interview to Vogue magazine, stating that their home was "democratically" managed. On the same day, Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire after being slapped by a female police officer, sparking a popular uprising that led to the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia. The uprising in Tunisia unexpectedly inspired revolutionary movements across the Arab world, reaching Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria.

PROTESTS FOR "ASSAD TO RESIGN" WERE HELD

In March 2011, a Vogue interview published under the title "A Rose in the Desert" (later retracted) described Syria as a country "free from bombings, tensions, and kidnappings." This image changed dramatically in the following months. In mid-March, a protest was held in the capital, Damascus, and days later, protests began after children who wrote anti-Assad slogans on walls were arrested in the southern city of Daraa. Assad addressed the Syrian people two weeks later, promising to thwart the "conspiracy" targeting Syria in parliament while also acknowledging that many people's needs were not being met.

The security forces' opening fire on protesters in Daraa further fueled the demonstrations, leading to protests in many cities calling for Assad's resignation. The violent responses to the protests were blamed on "saboteurs and spies guided by foreign powers." Within months, the situation escalated into a conflict between government forces and armed opposition across the country.

WAR CRIMES

As the conflict escalated, with increasing international interventions, the number of dead and injured rose from thousands to hundreds of thousands, according to UN estimates. While Russia, Iran, and Iran-backed armed groups intervened alongside Assad's forces, Turkey and Gulf countries supported armed opposition groups. Initially, anti-Assad protests called for democracy and freedom for all, but sectarianism resurfaced, with some opposition groups accusing the government of favoring the Alawite minority over the Sunni majority.

Regional interventions further deepened sectarian divides. Islamist forces adopted a hostile stance against Alawites, while Shiite militias loyal to Iran, led by Hezbollah, flooded into the country to support the Assad regime.

The extremist ISIS organization had risen in neighboring Iraq. The group took advantage of the civil war to gain territory in Syria and declared Raqqa in eastern Syria as its capital.

In August 2013, hundreds of people were killed as a result of a chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta, which was held by the opposition near Damascus. Western powers and Syrian opposition groups held the Assad regime responsible for the attack. Although Damascus denied the allegations, it approved the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpile in the face of international pressure and threats. However, this did not put an end to the massacres in the Syrian war, including other chemical attacks. UN agencies accused all parties in the conflict of committing war crimes, including murder, torture, and rape. In 2015, the Assad regime seemed to be on the brink of collapse, having lost control of large parts of the country. However, Russia's military intervention reversed the course of events, and Bashar al-Assad regained significant territories.

GAZA ATTACKS

Between 2018 and 2020, a regime was established where government forces dominated much of Syria through regional and international agreements, while Islamist opposition groups and Kurdish militias shared control in the east and northeast. These agreements strengthened Assad's position and gradually allowed him to return to the Arab diplomatic scene. Syria rejoined the Arab League in 2023, and Arab countries reopened their embassies in Damascus.

Despite the worsening economic crisis in Syria in recent years, Assad seemed to have survived the greatest challenge to his rule. However, in October 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, and the effects of the war in Gaza quickly spread to Lebanon, particularly to Assad's ally Hezbollah. Hezbollah suffered significant losses in the conflicts, including its leader Nasrallah.

OPPOSITION CAPTURED DAMASCUS

On the day the ceasefire began in Lebanon, militant Islamist groups led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham launched a surprise attack and quickly captured the capital of the country, Damascus. As the opposition advanced rapidly, they took Hama and other cities, while the southern regions slipped from the government's control.