Commanding Syria

When Basher al-Asad became President of Syria in June 2000 he had a tough act to follow. A quiet unassuming opthalmologist trained in Britain young Asad was successor to his dynamic wily father Hafiz who had consolidated power in his ethnically diverse and politically restive state through personal charisma brute force and political balancing acts. Now some years after Basher''s succession and with mounting international pressure for political and economical reform his handling of the issues facing Syria raises serious questions for the future stability of the Middle East. This is the first major work on Basher al-Asad. It assesses the durability of Hafiz''s legacy including the influence of the old power-brokers the effectiveness of Basher''s attempts to move away from his father''s shadow and prospects for reform. Above all it evaluates Basher''s continuing hold on power following Syria''s humiliating retreat from Lebanon in Spring 2005.