Biography of hafez assad in 1990
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Hafez al-Assad's Syria: Forging a dynasty, at any price
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Series'The al-Assad saga' (Part 3/4). Amid the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf War and talks with Israel, Hafez al-Assad's top priority was always to have one of his sons succeed him, even if this meant sacrificing his country and people.
Hafez al-Assad, when challenged by his brother Rifaat after a brief stay in hospital, in November 1983, eventually resolved the internal crisis – the most serious one in his regime's history – in his favor, in February 1984. That was the moment when his eldest son, Bassel, entered the spotlight for the first time. He was at his father's side when the Syrian president visited his rival in Damascus, the country's capital, where the two factions, each backed by their respective armed forces, were locked in confrontation. At 21, the president's e
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Syria: The rise of the Assads
The conflict in Syria has drawn in major global powers, some supporting and some opposing President Bashar al-Assad. The Assad family has ruled Syria for more than four decades, but how did they rise to power?
Hafez al-Assad was the architect of modern Syria. Following decades of coups and counter-coups in Syria, Hafez used the network he had built in the posts of Commander of the Syrian air force and Minister of Defence to seize power in 1970.
To maintain his position, Hafez created a system of divide and rule and personalised his power to such an extent that it was he alone who held the state tillsammans. His successor would inherit a weak government and state institutions.
It was Hafez's eldest son, Bassel, that was groomed for power. But Bassel's death in a car accident in 1994 thrust his brother Bashar to the fore. When Bashar al-Assad assumed the presidency in 2000 following Hafez's death, many expected him to be a chip off the o
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Hafez al- Assad
(b. 6 Oct. 1930, d. 16 Oct. 2000).
President of Syria 1971–2000
Early career
Born in Qardaha into the Alawi sect, he became an officer in the airforce. He joined the Ba'ath Party in the 1950s, and became part of a group of nationalist officers who organized the successful coup of 1963. He was appointed commander of the airforce, and in 1965 moved up to the leadership of the Ba'ath Party. In the internal struggles of the party, he became a leader of the military faction, which he supported in the 1966 coup. He was rewarded with the appointment of Minister of Defence, though he came to oppose the doctrinaire rigidity of President Jadid. He took power in a coup in 1969, and consolidated his power in another coup in 1971. In 1971 Assad established the People's Council, by which he was elected President (confirmed in a plebiscite the following month).
In office
Together with his bitter rival, Hussein II of Jordan, and his more erratic ally, Gaddafi, Assad became one