Al-Assad, Hafez
(b. Qardaha, Syria, 1928; d. 10 Jun. 2000) Syrian; President 1971–2000 A member of the minority Alawi sect, Assad joined the Ba'ath party at 16. After the party won power in 1963, he became Air Force Commander in 1965 and Defence Minister in 1966. The power struggle within the party between Dr Atassi's Marxist-orientated faction and Assad's nationalist faction was ended by the military coup of 1970 and Assad's election as President in 1971. Since then, he has ruthlessly repressed internal political opposition, particularly from religious extremists.
Assad has pursued an uncompromising foreign policy in the Middle East based on military aid and close ties with ...