HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_024963.jpg
2.61 MB
Extraction Summary
2
People
6
Organizations
6
Locations
3
Events
2
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Report/article page (geopolitical analysis)
File Size:
2.61 MB
Summary
This document is page 6 of a political analysis report discussing the stability of the Syrian regime under Bashar al-Assad during the 2011 Arab Spring. It details Assad's mistaken belief that his anti-Israel stance and ideology would protect him from uprisings similar to those in Egypt, and outlines his failed attempts at public relations and reform through speeches in March and April 2011. The document bears a House Oversight stamp, suggesting it was part of a larger cache of retrieved files.
People (2)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Bashar al-Assad | President of Syria |
Subject of the analysis, fighting for political survival during the Arab Spring.
|
| Hafez al-Assad | Late President of Syria |
Father of Bashar, established the regime in 1970.
|
Organizations (6)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Hizbullah |
Lebanese group supported by Syria.
|
|
| Hamas |
Gaza-based group supported by Syria.
|
|
| The Wall Street Journal |
Conducted an interview with Bashar al-Assad on January 31.
|
|
| Ba’ath Party |
Seized power in Syria in 1963.
|
|
| Special State Security Court |
Abolished by Assad in April 2011.
|
|
| United States Government |
Mentioned by Assad as financially supporting Egypt.
|
Timeline (3 events)
2011-04-16
Lifting of the state of emergency and abolishing of Special State Security Court.
Syria
Relationships (2)
The rule of the Assads, father and son...
his opposition to Israel
Key Quotes (3)
"Why is Syria stable... although we have more difficult conditions? Egypt has been supported financially by the United States, while we are under embargo by most countries of the world."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_024963.jpg
Quote #1
"It is about the ideology, the beliefs and the cause that you have. There is a difference between having a cause and having a vacuum."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_024963.jpg
Quote #2
"The rule of the Assads, father and son, has now lasted 41 years, a score comparable to that of other long-lasting Arab autocrats, each apparently determined to be a président-à-vie."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_024963.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,051 characters)
6
for the fall of the regime. The president is now fighting for his
political life and for that of the regime put in place in 1970 by his
father, the late President Hafez al-Assad.
Forty-one years in power
The rule of the Assads, father and son, has now lasted 41 years, a
score comparable to that of other long-lasting Arab autocrats, each
apparently determined to be a président-à-vie. In no other part of the
world have so many rulers clung so assiduously to power. Bashar
appears genuinely to have believed that the Arab nationalist ideology
he inherited, his opposition to Israel and his support for resistance
movements such as Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, gave
him immunity from popular discontent. In an interview with The
Wall Street Journal on 31 January, he claimed that Syria could not be
compared to Egypt. “Why is Syria stable,” he asked, “although we
have more difficult conditions? Egypt has been supported financially
by the United States, while we are under embargo by most countries
of the world. We have growth although we do not have many of the
basic needs for the people. Despite all that, the people do not go into
an uprising. So it is not only about needs and not only about reform.
It is about the ideology, the beliefs and the cause that you have. There
is a difference between having a cause and having a vacuum.”
Unfortunately for Bashar, this analysis has proved wrong. As if
caught unawares, his first public speech on 30 March was a public
relations disaster. It was delivered to an obedient parliament, which
interrupted him repeatedly with acclamation and crass plaudits. In an
aside, he seemed to concede that external crises had distracted him
from making the reforms he had intended when he first took office. In
a second speech on 16 April to his newly appointed cabinet, he
announced the lifting of the hated state of emergency, in force since
the Ba’ath Party seized power in 1963, and the abolishing of the
dreaded Special State Security Court. But even these moves came to
political life and for that of the regime put in place in 1970 by his
father, the late President Hafez al-Assad.
Forty-one years in power
The rule of the Assads, father and son, has now lasted 41 years, a
score comparable to that of other long-lasting Arab autocrats, each
apparently determined to be a président-à-vie. In no other part of the
world have so many rulers clung so assiduously to power. Bashar
appears genuinely to have believed that the Arab nationalist ideology
he inherited, his opposition to Israel and his support for resistance
movements such as Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, gave
him immunity from popular discontent. In an interview with The
Wall Street Journal on 31 January, he claimed that Syria could not be
compared to Egypt. “Why is Syria stable,” he asked, “although we
have more difficult conditions? Egypt has been supported financially
by the United States, while we are under embargo by most countries
of the world. We have growth although we do not have many of the
basic needs for the people. Despite all that, the people do not go into
an uprising. So it is not only about needs and not only about reform.
It is about the ideology, the beliefs and the cause that you have. There
is a difference between having a cause and having a vacuum.”
Unfortunately for Bashar, this analysis has proved wrong. As if
caught unawares, his first public speech on 30 March was a public
relations disaster. It was delivered to an obedient parliament, which
interrupted him repeatedly with acclamation and crass plaudits. In an
aside, he seemed to concede that external crises had distracted him
from making the reforms he had intended when he first took office. In
a second speech on 16 April to his newly appointed cabinet, he
announced the lifting of the hated state of emergency, in force since
the Ba’ath Party seized power in 1963, and the abolishing of the
dreaded Special State Security Court. But even these moves came to
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_024963
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