through the region. There seems to be one person being blamed for the significant decline

of the Middle Eastern country. So, is Bashar Al Assad ruining Syria?

Well, Syria was already suffering from a dynastic authoritarian regime since Assad’s father

seized power in the 1970s in a coup d’état [eh-tah]. When Bashar took over as the nepotistic

ruler of Syria in 2000, he continued his father’s repressive regime. He instigated severe crackdowns

on any political dissent, private or public. The resulting backlash forced him to release

a number of political prisoners to ease tensions, but it didn’t work.

By 2011, when much of the Arab world was revolting during the Arab Spring, Assad authorized the

release of a significant number of terrorist leaders from prison. These terrorists would

soon after regroup to form ISIS. This, coupled with violent crackdowns on protesters, turned

the Arab Spring into an armed rebellion by the Syrian opposition - pitting the Sunni

Muslim majority against Assad’s “Alawite Shia” minority.

As the civil war progressed, Assad continued arresting citizens and was personally implicated

in a number of war crimes by the UN, including the imprisonment and killings of his own citizens.

By 2015, some 200,000 political prisoners alone had been jailed for speaking out against

the regime. Although most of the Arab League, along with the US and EU, have demanded that

Assad step-down as president, he instead ran for a third term in 2014. His victory was

widely considered illegitimate and the votes faked or coerced.

Recent reports suggest that Assad has been assisting ISIS militarily in their spread

across Syria. In the meantime, Assad’s actions have forced 6.5 million residents out of their

homes, and 3 million out of the country, as well as decimating the economy and military.

Reports say that Syria would not return to pre-civil war conditions for another 30 years

at least, following the end of the conflict. In short, Bashar al Assad is not only destroying

Syria, but essentially helped facilitate the formation and rise of ISIS.

The civil war has taken an incredibly tough toll on the people of Syria, and it’s resulted

in millions of refugees flooding the surrounding areas. To learn about where they’re going,

check out our video. There’s a link to that video in the description below. Thanks for

watching TestTube News!