Syria is about to hold elections described in Europe as a farce which will undoubtedly return Bashar Assad on an unassailable and risible majority. The country battered by a savage war for a decade, with Russia and Iran as military backstops, has disappeared from the headlines but Bashar Assad has been ruthlessly consolidating his family’s power and wealth overseeing what is left of a broken nation. Half of Syria’s population is displaced, with many remaining outside its borders, while more than 500,000 people were killed and the economy disintegrated. A former CIA officer said “Assad is the Tony Soprano of the Middle East – at bare bones, a mob boss, overseeing a crime syndicate simply designed to enrich himself and his family, and always willing to inflict violence to achieve his goals.”
Long gone is the west’s delusion of a progressive young president, ‘the dashing young ophthalmologist trained in the UK, in love with western technology, married to a beautiful former banker.’
Although the Syrian exile view is gloomy about any change ahead there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. His Presidency chart, 17 July 2000, has been under extreme pressure from tr Pluto opposition the Mars recently and until late this year the Sun; but it is 2022 which will be the real test. Next year the Solar Arc Uranus will square the Pluto which is often when administrations/regimes are at their least stable and topple-off-perch moments can occur.
His own chart, 11 September 1965, has a tumultuous Sun, Uranus, Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn in Pisces, sextile an unpleasant Mars in vengeful Scorpio conjunct Neptune which never looked that charming. His Mars will be rattled up from this July by tr Uranus in a shocking and insecure opposition from tr Uranus running into 2022; and in 2022 as well both tr Saturn and tr Uranus will hit on his Neptune. Even worse his Solar Arc Sun will conjunct his Mars in 2022 for a car-crash moment and that starts a run of several highly dangerous years with his Solar Arc Sun, Pluto, Uranus crashing across his Mars Neptune.
The shifting sands of the Middle East may well be blowing in new directions whether in Syria or elsewhere. There was an alarming piece which I now can’t find suggesting the semi-coup hinted at recently in Jordan – see post April 4 2021 – was set in motion by other neighbouring players, probably Saudi’s Mohammed Bin Salman. If Trump had been returned to the White House the dreaded son-in-law Jared would have been in there bro-romancing and redrawing the balance of power in the ME. Makes the blood run cold even contemplating it as a script for a bad movie.
Found it:
“Had he [Trump] been re-elected, this would be a very different region.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/did-jordans-closest-allies-plot-to-unseat-its-king
If Assad were a share, I’d sell it now. In fact I’d short it. There will be nothing but grief for him for the next four years.
A big thank you to both Chris and Marjorie for this article and response.
Bashar Assad is not my cup of tea by any stretch. However, if I had to choose living under Assad or ISIS, I’d choose Assad in a New York second.
Bashar Assad is part of the ethnoreligious Alawite community – a highly endogamous sect that one must be born into (you cannot convert to it). The Alawaites, in general, are more socially liberal and they follow somewhat syncreatic religious practices by incorporating Sufi mysticism and practices of other Abrahamic religions. For example, the Alawites, interestingly celebrate holidays such as Christmas, Palm Sunday, and Easter with a certain degree of religious significance – despite the fact that Alawites are considered a branch of Shia Islam (the Twelvers, I believe?)
Anyway, Bashar Assad has run Syria with an iron fist. However, at least he ran a fairly secular society. All of Syrians ethnic, ethnolinguistic, and ethnoreligious groups – Arabs, Alawites, Kurmanji Kurds, Armenians, Arameans/Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs, Turkomans, Shabaks, Alevis, Circassians, Palestinians, Domari / Nawar Gypsies, etc. were able to live in a society that treated them as equal citizens (at least to a certain extent).
ISIS, a fanatical Salafi cult, was the most barbaric entity of modern times. They acted without provocation. They deliberately damaged or destroyed ancient archeological sites, historic landmarks, and works of art. They committed violent acts of genocide against the Yazidis by slaughtering many of them and forcing Yazidi women to give birth to their mixed-race children (the Yazidis are a highly endogamous ethnoreligious group; they believe they are the direct descendants of Adam. Therefore, they feel it’s imperative to keep their ethnic bloodlines pure because the rest of the world is descended from Eve [seen as a containment in their culture]). Last but not least, ISIS banned the teaching of science and history, they forced women to live like submissive, virtuous “Stepford Wives” behind abayas (and probably chastity belts too).
In other words, when considering the alternative, Bashar Assad seems like a breathe of fresh-air. So, I do hope he remains in power until social attitudes and mentalities evolve in the Middle East. Assad is probably the best Syria’s going to get anytime soon.
I’ve been to the disputed Golan Heights region a few times over the years. Geographically, it’s a beautiful area and I imagine most of Syria resembled the Golan Heights at one time. However, I’m horrified when looking at any recent photographs of Syria – the destruction caused by the civil war and by ISIS is unbelievable.
Please excuse the typos – I’m typing from my smartphone and the auto-correct function appears to have a mind of its own.