"Al-Assad. The Triumph of Tyranny": The dictator's calm in the face of the arabian Spring

Zdjęcie: Foto: BULENT KILIC/AFP


When the first protests in Syria began in March 2011, Bashar al-Assad seemed to sincerely believe that the problems facing his neighbors in the region would not affect him. This sense of complacency stemmed from the improvement in the Damascus regime's standing on the global phase that was felt after Barack Obama became US president.