POLS 3060 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Bashar Al-Assad, Arab Spring, Democratic Federation Of Northern Syria
23 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
Bashar al assad, president: son of hafez al-assad who rose through military and seized power in 1970 (coup); dies in 2000, head of the arab socialist baath party. Fa ade presidential republic: president has vast powers over party. Military/police and govt institutions: appoints pm, deputy pm, vice pm, cabinet, civil servants and military personnel; can dissolve parliament, commander-in-chief, until recently, president re-elected by referendum, multi-party elections with majority of parties in national progressive front (baath. Ethnic and religious cleavages: unequal distribution of power along ethnic/religious lines, alawite minority (branch of shi"a) dominate baath party and military, majority sunni, main minorities, alawites (12%, christians (9%, kurds (9%, druze (3%) Repressions (security forces: massacre of (sunni) muslim brotherhood in city of hama in 1982, anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 killed in less than a month. Economic liberalization important business class since the 1990s. Over-concentration of benefits of economic reform, patronage and opportunities in hands of president"s family and elite groups.
