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| Aleppo, listed by UNESCO in 2006 as a World Heritage Site |
Aleppo is rubble now.
Perhaps. No. Yes. Absolutely.
Syria’s people are fleeing or dying; images burn into eyes in every nation.
Bassar Assad, president of Syria, nods and steps into shadows of deniability, as his military drops death on Syrians. His government is not open to inspections or any action that would reveal his actions.
Syria’s people are fleeing or dying; images burn into eyes in every nation.
Bassar Assad, president of Syria, nods and steps into shadows of deniability, as his military drops death on Syrians. His government is not open to inspections or any action that would reveal his actions.
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History has never been kind to Syria for most of its recent existence. Its glorious building days and its successful decades as a prime market for Mideast countries was a shining star post-Crusades. But, what happened? How far back can this violence be traced? Too far.
Move on to modern history.
Different interviews through the years chronicle the process that began with President Hafez al-Assad’s control starting in early 1970s to his death in June 2000. However, Syria’s strict control began decades, even more before.
Move on to modern history.
Different interviews through the years chronicle the process that began with President Hafez al-Assad’s control starting in early 1970s to his death in June 2000. However, Syria’s strict control began decades, even more before.
Syria was pinned down by then-Soviet Union and Iran, with their iron hands for so many decades. Slowly breaking loose from these countries, if indeed they were ever free, required a heavy hand, that of Hafez al-Assad.
Now before outcry bursts through the screen, no sainted bits exist in this man. Although Hafez did improve lives to a degree, especially in education, people feared secret police and how a prison could and often did resemble dungeons. *
Hafez died of heart failure in June 2000. Oldest son, Basil, was groomed to take over after father died but he himself died, in a car crash. This left Bassar al-Assad as the heir.
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He was portrayed as a gentle ophthalmic surgeon who did not hold reins of power well.
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He and his wife Asma al-Akhras with their three children are…”fond of taking on picnics and bicycle rides in the hills around the capital.” He said, “We refuse to live in a bubble. I think that is why people trust us.”***
Assad initially believed that the partnership with Russia and Iran was one of co-operation guaranteed by International Law. Now he believes they are interfering with his goals, breaking this agreement. Aggressors always remain aggressors.
Perhaps the most amazing words are:
“Where
is the chain of evidence that would lead one to the conclusion that Syria used
chemical weapons?...the terrorists were the ones who used chemical weapons…”**
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Many apologies for the length of this post. It borders on being a rant. So much more could have been written from sources listed below.
*National Geographic, July 1996, "Syria behind the Mask" by Peter Theroux, photographs by Ed Kashi
*** National Geographic, November 2009, "Shadowland" by Don Belt
**Frankfurter Allgemeine Politic, June 2013, "Europe's backyard would become a terrorist Haven" by Rainer Hermann
Other sites listed internet-wise have been taken down.
Other sites listed internet-wise have been taken down.
