Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar Hafez al-AssadLevantine pronunciation: ; born 11 September 1965) is the President of Syria, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces, General Secretary of the ruling Ba'ath Party and Regional Secretary of the party's branch in Syria. On 10 July 2000, he was elected president succeeding Hafez al-Assad, his father, who had led Syria for 30 years and died in office a month prior. In both the Syrian presidential election, 2000 and subsequent 2007 election, Bashar Assad received votes in his...
NationalitySyrian
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth11 September 1965
CityDamascus, Syria
CountrySyrian Arab Republic
Since its very inception, Israel has been a threat.
There can be no peace without unity.
It's not exactly fair to make a mistake yourself and then start blaming others for it.
But for us, in Syria, we have principles. We'll do anything to prevent the region from another crazy war. It's not only Syria. Because it will start in Syria...
The problem with the West is that they start with political reform going towards democracy.
Despite the ethnic diversity within each nation, the social fabric of the region by and large is one.
When our interests matched, the Americans have been good to us, and when the interests differed, they wanted us to mold ourselves to them, which we refused.
This is the Middle East, where every week you have something new; so whatever you talk about this week will not be valuable next week.
I am Syrian, I was made in Syria, I have to live in Syria and die in Syria.
They want to criticize you, let them criticize and do not worry. Just be transparent with your people and tell them this is the reality.
None of us and none of the Arabs trust Israel.
As soon as the legitimate Lebanese government is convinced that the conditions have ripened and that Lebanon is able to maintain stability on its own... Then, the Syrian forces will return to their homeland.
Simply naming objectives isn't sufficient for a vision. If I say that I'm going to build a large palace, but I don't have any money to do so, then that is not a vision - it's an illusion.
People do not only live on interests; they also live on beliefs, especially in very ideological areas. Unless you understand the ideological aspect of the region, you cannot understand what is happening.