BEIRUT (AP) — The fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government Sunday brought to a dramatic close his nearly 14-year struggle to hold onto power as his country fragmented amid a brutal civil war that became a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers.
Assad’s downfall came as a stark contrast to his first months as Syria’s unlikely president in 2000, when many hoped he would be a young reformer after three decades of his father’s iron grip. Only 34 years old, the Western-educated ophthalmologist was a rather geeky tech-savvy fan of computers with a gentle demeanor.
But when faced with protests against his rule that erupted in March 2011, Assad turned to the brutal tactics of his father in an attempt to crush them. As the uprising hemorrhaged into an outright civil war, he unleashed his military to blast opposition-held cities, with support from allies Iran and Russia.
International rights groups and prosecutors alleged widespread use of torture and extrajudicial executions in Syria’s government-run detention centers.
The Syrian war has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. As the uprising spiraled into a civil war, millions of Syrians fled across the borders into Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon and on to Europe.
Ironically, on Feb. 26, 20[1]1, two days after the fall of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak to protesters and just before the wave of Arab Spring protests swept into Syria — in an email released by Wikileaks as part of a cache in 2012 — Assad e-mailed a joke he’d run across mocking the Egyptian leader’s stubborn refusal to step down.
“NEW WORD ADDED TO DICTIONARY: Mubarak (verb): To stick something, or to glue something. … Mubarak (adjective): slow to learn or understand,” it read.
This is going to be a strange little footnote in history.
When the shitposter posts shit for long enough, they become the shitpost.
Glad he’s gone.
I hope whatever follows won’t be worse.
To get rid of a massive cunt you need an even bigger cunt
Good. What a piece of shit he was.
He was, and we can feel good about his leaving for about 5 seconds. The immediate question is who will replace him. The rebels who ousted him have controlled parts of Syria for some time during this long civil conflict, and in those areas they have instituted Islamic law. Women have not had to cover themselves in Syria before. Now they will. We’re probably looking at something very much like what happened to Iran, just with Sunnis instead of Shias.
But he had support from such upstanding groups as Hezbollah, the Iranians, and the Russians!
US backed Sisi in Egypt isnt better. Western backed factions in Libya arent better. Saudi Arabia isnt better, Iran isnt better.
Who outside forces align with for their interests isnt a reflection of whether a leader is a tyrant or not. It is just bullshit peddled to pretend the tyrants supported by “our side” are somehow less tyrannical because they give us cheap ressources and allow their countries to be used as military staging areas.
Down with all the tyrants and power to the people!
Assad should try declaring martial law. That’s a good trick.
Promising to implement tariffs on everyone seems to be a good way to win folks over as well
Or invade a neighbour country.
The rumour is that he tried another good trick: spinning
I guess he’ll have to fall back on his opthalmology career.
Well, he didn’t see that coming so is he any good at it?
He could go the Rand Paul route and make up his own certification board.
Hope those 14 years of boozing it up in Damascus was worth the crater you’re buried in, jackass
Lose a shithead dictator, gain another Islamic theocracy.
Cycle of revolutions…
😓
It’s the same story as with the Arab spring, we all thought it was going to be different. This is just from awful to worse I’m afraid.
People also forget that the French Revolution ended up with Napoleon becoming emperor.
A lot of people want a king to tell them what to do.
Yes. Reality is often a worsening of conditions rather the opposite, this has been the norm.
It’s unfortunate.
On one hand we do have to “applaud” a brutal dictator being deposed, which as an isolated fact is good. On the other hand, what will follow will be much worse, which is bad.
More like from bad-okayish to absolutely terrible.
And here’s the perfect clip to celebrate the downfall of that murderous, mum-fearing asshole
Being replaced by murderous Islamist who want Israel to help them out.
Edit: Hi ignorant downvoters. Good job supporting Israel. Do your research next time:
https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/12/06/al-qaeda-rebels-syria-israel-usa/
I told you few days ago, we are slowly getting infiltrated by zionists.
They’ve been trying ever since. So far we’ve been holding up and I hope the mods keep having an eye on it. Wouldn’t want this place to become like Reddit.
This are t Zionists. They are ignorant people that keep defending the rebels and saying it’s Israel’s fault.
putin better take some notes…
Sudden loss of country power…check
Run like a mad man…
Hide in a desperate move to stay alive
You choice:
Bunker busting ammo
Heli raid
Simple moldy hole discovered accidentally
Your choice:
Smitherines
Countable pieces
Cheese-like speed holes
Burial at sea
Real hung, but not the good kind
Assad never seemed like a good guy, but can you imagine what the reality of the situation actually is with every major and some minor powers shit-fucking with the country? You couldn’t have a scorecard long enough to keep track of what’s happened there over the last 50 years.
