Bashar al-Assad

Who is Bashar al-assad?

• President of Syria (since 2000)
• Born: 11 September 1965 in Damascus, Syria
• Son of Syria's former president, Hafez al-Assad

Hafez al- Assad was the President of Syria from 1971, until he died from a heart attack in 2000. Before Hafez died, he was said to be responsible for the 1982 Hama Massacre that killed over 17 thousand of people. He pressured and prepared his sons to be the next president of Syria.

Early life

• Before being president, Bashar had no intent of doing anything with politics.
• Studied to be an ophthalmologist
• Lived in England from 1992-1994
• Moved back to Syria in 1994 when his brother died in a car accident
• Father forced him to join to military to prepare to be the next president
• When listening to the complaints his father was getting about the country he decided he wanted to be a better ruler than his father

marriage

• Before being sent back to Syria, Bashar met his wife, Asma, in a bank where she worked
• Many Syrians did not like her because of her British lifestyle
• Has stayed with Bashar throughout his presidency
• Asma enjoys her current lifestyle
• Have 3 kids (2 boys and 1 girl)

"WORRY DOES NOT MEAN FEAR, BUT READINESS FOR THE CONFRONTATION."

Presidency

• Before being President, people believed that Bashar al-Assad would be the first leader in a long time to lead Syria to success.

Syrian Civil war

• Started: 15 March 2011
• Cause: Protests against Bashar al-Assad's presidency
• Effect: More than 200 thousand people have lost their lives, Bashar al-Assad has forced more than 11 million people out of their homes, millions of people are seeking refugee
• Bashar al-Assad decided instead of resigning from office, he wanted to stay.

what i would do

• I would step down because it's selfish to stay in a position that nobody wants you in anymore. By staying the President, Bashar al-Assad is ruining millions of lives in order to keep his pride.

Global Impact

• Since the Syrian Civil War started, over 9 million Syrians have migrated to other countries (mainly to Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon)

Characteristics

• Consistent
• Confident
• Bold

"THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE OCCUPATION, BUT HOW PEOPLE DEAL WITH IT."

Works Cited

• "Bashar al-Assad Biography."A&E Television Networks. n.d. 10 September 2015.
• "Quick Facts: What you need to know about the Syria crisis." Mercy Corps. n.d. 10 September 2015
• "Asma and Bashar al-Assad -- a match made in hell." Fox News. 6 September 2015. 10 September 2015.
• "Hafez al-Assad Biography."A&E Televison Networks .n.d. 10 September 2015.