Bashar al-Assad (Arabic: بشار حافظ الأسد, Baššār al-ʾAsad; born 11 September 1965) is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.
Early life, education and career
Bashar al-Assad was born in Damascus on 11 September 1965. The son of Aniseh (née Makhluf) and Hafez al-Assad. The home he grew up in was filled with politics. Family life was conducted in the shadow of his father Hafez Assad, who had taken over running the Syrian government in 1970. Days would go by when Bashar and the rest of the family would not see their father because he was involved in state affairs. Unlike his brothers, Basil and Maher and sister Bushra, Bashar was quiet and reserved. He received his primary and secondary education in the elite public Arab-French al-Hurriya School in Damascus, and was an exemplary student that excelled academically. In 1982, he graduated from high school and went on to study medicine at Damascus University.In 1988, Bashar Assad graduated from medical school, and began working as an army doctor in the biggest military hospital, "Tishrin", on the outskirts of Damascus. Four years later, he went to the United Kingdom to begin postgraduate training in ophthalmology in the Western Eye Hospital, part of the St Mary's group of teaching hospitals in London. Bashar at the time had few political aspirations. His father had been grooming Bashar's older brother, Basil al-Assad, as the future president. Bashar, however, was recalled in 1994 to join the Syrian army, after Basil's unexpected death in an automobile accident.
To establish his credentials in the military, Bashar entered in 1994 the military academy at Homs, north of Damascus, and was propelled through the ranks to become a colonel in January 1999. To establish a power base for Bashar in the military, old divisional commanders were pushed into retirement, and new, young, Alawite officers with loyalties to him took their place. Parallel to the his military career, Bashar was engaged in public affairs. He was granted wide powers, and became a political adviser to President Hafez al-Assad, head of the bureau to receive complaints and appeals of citizens, and led a campaign against corruption. As a result of his campaign against corruption, Bashar was able to remove his potential rivals for president.
