Hafez al-Assad

Hafez al- Assad , 1930-2000, president of Syria (1971-2000). He graduated (1955) from the Syrian Military Academy and advanced through the army ranks to become a general. He served (1966-70) as Syria's minister of defense and commander in chief of the air force. Using that position, Assad was able to become the most powerful figure in Syria, and in 1971 he became the country's president after leading a coup in late 1970. An autocratic ruler at the head of a police state, he was strongly anti-Zionist and a major supporter of Palestinian guerrilla organizations. In 1976 he sent Syrian troops as a peacekeeping force to Lebanon, where they became a force in Lebanese politics. In the 1990s, Assad sought to cultivate both the support of more militant Arab leaders and peaceful relations with the West in an attempt to regain the Golan Heights and increase Syrian influence in the Middle East.

Assad, Hafiz al- (b. 6 Oct. 1930, d. 16 Oct. 2000). President of Syria 1971–2000 Born in Qardaha into the Alawi sect, he became an officer in the airforce. He joined the Ba'ath Party in the 1950s, and became part of a group of nationalist officers who organized the successful coup of 1963. He was appointed commander of the airforce, and in 1965 moved up to the leadership of the Ba'ath Party. In the internal struggles of the party, he became a leader of the military faction, which he supported in the 1966 coup. He was rewarded with the appointment of Minister of Defence, though he came to oppose the doctrinaire rigidity of President Jadid. He took power in a coup in 1969, and consolidated his power in another coup in 1971. In 1971 he established the People's Council, by which he was elected President (confirmed in a plebiscite the following month).

Together with his bitter rival, Hussein II of Jordan, and his more erratic ally, Gaddafi, he became one of the most skilful politicians of the Arab world. At home, he secured his regime through the application of ruthless methods against the opposition, which came mainly from Islamic fundamentalists objecting to his secularism and his Alawi origin. Espousing state socialism and nationalization, he sought assistance from the Soviet Union in his opposition to US-sponsored Israel, though he was always careful not to become too reliant on the USSR. He sought to increase pressure on Israel by supporting various Islamic groups in Lebanon. He was rigorously opposed to any conciliation with Israel which might have endangered his claim for the Golan Heights. This explains his hostility to Sadat's Camp David Accords, his opposition to Arafat's PLO for its moderation, and his rejection of the Oslo Accords. Assad's greatest diplomatic achievement came in 1990, when he used his support for the UN in the Gulf War quietly to secure his authority in Lebanon, since when he acted as the effective arbiter and guardian of that country. The last years of his reign were characterized by low-level contacts with Israel over the Golan Heights, and an attempt to improve relations with the West. In 1999 he replaced his brother, Rifaat al-Assad, in the office of Vice-President by his son, Bashar, who succeeded him after his death.