Bashar al-Assad

Bashar Hafez al-Assad, born 11 September 1965, is the current President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000 and 2007, unopposed each time..During the Syrian uprising, demonstrators have called for President al-Assad's resignation.

Presidency

When the elder Assad died in 2000, Bashar was appointed leader of the Ba'ath Party and the Army, and was elected president unopposed in what the regime claimed to be a massive popular support (97.2% of the votes), after the Majlis Al Sha'ab (Parliament) swiftly voted to lower the minimum age for candidates from 40 to 34 (Assad's age when he was elected). On 27 May 2007, Bashar was approved as president for another seven-year term, with the official result of 97.6% of the votes in a referendum without another candidate.

Economy

Economic liberalization in Syria has been limited, with industry still heavily state-controlled. However some changes have occurred including the introduction of private banking and the encouragement of foreign involvement, most notably in the oil sector. The need for a diversification of the economy has been pressed for by some as it has been predicted that Syria will change from exporting to having to import oil by 2015. The reliance upon oil is reflected by manufacturing exports representing only 3.1 percent of Syria’s GDP. These issues are especially relevant as Syria’s population is predicted to more than double to over 34 million by 2050.There have been mild economic sanctions (the Syria Accountability Act) applied by the United States which further complicate the situation. Of major importance are the negotiations for a free trade association agreement with the European Union.

14 March Alliance

The March 14 alliance, named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon that call for sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, led by MP Saad Hariri, younger son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon, as well as other figures such as Samir Geagea, president of the Lebanese Forces.

The Free Patriotic Movement of General Michel Aoun left the informal grouping before the 2005 general election, before March 14 was an established alliance, due to major disagreements. After the 2005 elections, The Free Patriotic Movement was alone in the opposition, but was joined one year later by the so-called March 8 Alliance in November 2006.

Despite everything that has happened since - the series of assassinations of leading Lebanese figures (journalists, politicians, generals), the war of July-August 2006 , the polarisation of Lebanese politics - the events of 14 March 2005 have assumed a kind of legendary significance in Lebanese eyes. There are two reasons for this. First, the huge assembly brought together people from the country's disparate sectarian communities who until then had only ever joined in battle. Second, it engaged a whole new generation in civilian politics, when for so long the only way to get involved had been behind the barrel of a gun. The protests' impact was such that they completely eclipsed the gathering orchestrated by Hizbollah a few days earlier in an attempt to shore up the three pillars of Lebanon's then status quo: Syrian domination, the Lebanese security apparatus and the armed Shi'a resistance.

Assassination of Rafic Hariri

On 14 February 2005, Rafic Hariri, former Prime Minister of Lebanon, was killed, along with 21 others, when explosives equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT(2,200 Pounds) were detonated as his motorcade drove near the St. George Hotel in Beirut. Among the dead were several of Hariri's bodyguards and his friend and former Minister of the Economy Bassel Fleihan. Hariri was buried along with his bodyguards, who died in the bombing, in a location near Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque.Wissam Eid of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch, had found compelling evidence for the responsibility of Lebanese militia Hezbollah in the assassination. 

Nasrallah

In August 2010, in response to notification that the UN tribunal would indict some Hezbollah members, Hassan Nasrallah said Israel was looking for a way to assassinate Hariri as ear;y as 1993 in order to create political chaos that would force Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, and to perpetuate an anti-Syrian atmosphere [in Lebanon] in the wake of the assassination. He went on to say that in 1996 Hezbollah apprehended an agent working for Israel by the name of Ahmed Nasrallah – no relation to Hassan Nasrallah – who allegedly contacted Hariri's security detail and told them that he had solid proof that Hezbollah was planning to take his life. Hariri then contacted Hezbollah and advised them of the situation. Saad Hariri responded that the UN should investigate these claims.

Aftermath

Hariri was well regarded among international leaders, for example, he was a close friend of French President Jacques Chirac. Chirac was one of the first foreign dignitaries to offer condolences to Hariri's widow in person at her home in Beirut. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was also created at his instigation.

UN Special Tribunal

As of 6 February 2006, both the United Nations and the government of Lebanon had agreed to a proposal establishing a Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The tribunal will mark the first time that an international court tried individuals for a "terrorist" crime committed against a specific person. The United Nations acted in early 2007 to force the process ahead, a move strongly opposed by Syria and its allies in Lebanon, and for reasons of security, efficiency and fairness, the location is to be outside Lebanon.

On April 29, 2009, following a request of prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, the tribunal ordered the "immediate and unconditional release" of the only four suspects arrested during the investigation, "for complete absence of reliable proof against them". These were General Jamil Mohammad Amin el-Sayyed (head of General Security), General Ali Salah el-Dine el-Hajj (chief of internal security forces, the Lebanese police force), Brigadier-General Raymond Fouad Azar (head of Army Intelligence) and Brigadier-General Mostafa Fehmi Hamdane (head of the presidential guard). Considered as Syria's main rule-enforcing agents at the time, they have spent nearly 3 years and 8 months in detention after Lebanese authorities arrested them on September 1, 2005, and during that period no charges were ever pressed against them. Their release came amidst a tense political atmosphere in Lebanon, due to the officially admitted heavy politization of the affair. Several anti-Syrian political figures have stated that "(we) still consider them as guilty.

Syrian-Lebanese Relations

Lebanon–Syria relations are the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Syria. The relationship between these two neighbouring countries in Western Asia is complex: Syria has had troops stationed in Lebanon and has exerted political influence in the nation for many years, however Syria has only officially recognised Lebanon's sovereignty recently

History

Both states were created by France from land under control of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. Syria has refused to accept the separation since they became independent of each other in 1942.

At the request of the then-President of Lebanon, Suleiman Frangieh, Syria sent troops to Lebanon in order to prevent greater bloodshed during the Civil War. In 1982, Syria fought Israeli troops after the latter's invasion of Lebanon.

The assassination of Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005, was blamed on Syria by the March 14 Alliance, while Syria denied involvement. A UN commission set up to investigate the killing has not yet assigned responsibility for the assassination. However, Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon following the assassination and subsequent mass protests.

At a meeting in Paris during the first Summit of the Union for the Mediterranean, the new President of Lebanon, Michel Sleiman, and Syria's President,Bashar al-Assad, agreed to establish diplomatic relations and to open a new page in the relations between the two countries. On August 13, 2008, the diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.

In December 2008, the Syrian Embassy was opened in Beirut for the first time since both countries gained their independence during the 1940s. In March 2009, Lebanon opened its embassy in Damascus.

On 19 December 2009, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri visited Syria, and stayed in Damascus for 3 days of meetings with President Bashar Al-Assad.

For Syria, Reliant on Russia for Weapons and Food, Old Bonds Run Deep

MOSCOW — As the violence in Syria worsened in recent days, amateur video showed the forces of President Bashar al-Assad rolling through the besieged city of Homs in vintage Soviet battle tanks.

A State Department image of a rocket launcher near Homs, Syria

Other photographs, including satellite images released by the State Department, showed deployments of Soviet-designed truck-mounted rocket launchers and two models of a self-propelled howitzer whose sweet-scented names in Russian, Gvozdika and Akatsiya (Carnation and Acacia), are no reflection of their fearsome firepower.

Regional political events have played a part. The Arab Spring and the American-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have dissipated Russia’s once-powerful influence in the region, transforming the relationship into one of critical importance to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is running for president and wants to expand Russia’s role as a global power-broker.

A Soviet-era tank used by the Syrian Army

But if the talk from Russia is heavy on respecting Syria’s autonomy, and avoiding the chaos that has engulfed Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Egypt, arms exports have long anchored the relationship between Moscow and Damascus, including sales over the years of MIG fighter jets, attack helicopters and high-tech air defense systems.

In a sign of the intensifying diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin, Russian officials have visited Syria and called for a truce. And the deputy defense secretary, Anatoly Antonov, recently insisted that no Russian weapons were being used against the opposition forces in Syria — but he offered no basis for the assertion.

Syrian Sports

Syria actively participates in Sporting competition both nationally and internationally.  Syria has hosted many sporting events including the Pan Arab Games of 1976 and 1992 and the Mediterranean Games in 1987.   Syria strides itself as being a competitive country and physical fitness is a priority for the country.  

Syria has an excellent national sports establishment with a basketball and football (soccer) leagues.  Different cities and clubs compete amongst each other in different parts of Syria.  All major cities have world class sporting arenas and complexes, which consists of stadiums, Olympic sized swimming pools, playgrounds, gardens, and training facilities for its world class athletes.  Below is a list of some sporting complexes throughout Syria.

Teshreen Sports Complex
Al-Fiaa Sports Complex 
Al-Assad Sports Complex 
Al-Hamadinia Complex 

On the international level, Syria participates in many world class events including the Olympics.  Syria has been successful at the Olympic Games.  In Atlanta, Georgia, in 1996, Ghada Shouaa excelled further than any women athlete in the grueling 7-event track and field event known as the Hepthatalon.   Ghada Shouaa was awarded the Gold Medal in this event and raised the Syrian Flag and sang the Syrian National Anthem.  In 1984 Joe Atiyeh won the silver medal in wrestling at the Olympic games in Los Angeles California.

2011-2012 Syrian Uprising

 

The 2011–2012 Syrian uprising is an ongoing internal conflict in Syria, a part of the 

wider Arab Spring. Public demonstrations first took place on 26 January 2011, but were only a sporadic occurrence until mass protests erupted in Daraa on 15 March. The situation quickly developed into a full-scale nationwide uprising, with protesters demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad and the overthrow of the government. 

The situation in Syria is part of the Arab Spring, a wave of social upheaval throughout the Arab World demanding greater political freedom and an end to autocracy. Inspired by the successful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, Syrian protesters have employed the use of tactics such as marches, hunger strikes, rioting, and vandalism, in a sustained campaign of civil resistance aimed at ending nearly five decades of Ba’athist rule. The uprising was described as "unprecedented" by several political commentators.

The Arab League,the European Union, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States have condemned the use of violence against the protesters,among others. The government of Iran, Assad’s primary regional and political ally, initially suggested the demonstrations were a foreign plot,but President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has since called for reforms and for both sides to reach an understanding, and stated that neither side has the right to kill others.