Bashar al-Assad has been President of Syria since 2000. His time in power has been overshadowed by a dreadful civil war that started in Syria in 2011 and is still ongoing. Bashar has attracted both the ire and the support of various international powers, with the Western alliance putting increasing pressure on regime to make concessions to the Opposition, but Vladimir Putin’s Russia seeking to gain leverage in the Middle East by keeping Assad in place. In doing so, Putin was successful; Assad is still in power in Syria, though his regime is a shadow of its former self.
You’ll notice that this is one of two episodes I’ve put out this weekend, the other being on North Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski. The reason I have decided to pair these episodes is because they show, in different ways and with different results, the consequences of the West neglecting people on the edges of their sphere on influence.
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