SYRIA'S BUSINESS ON DOMESTIC POLICIES

:DANGER: : DICTATOR ALERT:

In February 2004 the ICG Middle East Report outlines in their Syria Under Basher report the Domestic Policies that Syria underwent. The audience of this report are mainly international governments and foreign advisors who study Middle East political developments. A value of this source is the purpose of "reporting" and "outlining" Syria's domestic policies and political developments, since it accounts for a more accurate and unbiased evaluation. Yet, a limitation is that it was written almost 10 years ago, and Syria might have underwent many changes by then. Though the source is worthwhile to read, as it states: 

"By 1970, the faction led by Defence Minister Hafez al-Assad had gained control over all vital military and security branches. In November, he staged a successful coup that was dubbed the “Corrective Movement” in an attempt to claim the mantle of Baathist legitimacy. The coup, which marked the supremacy of the military over the party, also began a new phase in Syria’s modern history. Emerging from the traumatic experience of the 1967 Six Days War, Assad chartered a more pragmatic path, in which the foreign policy priority was to recover the Golan Heights from Israeli occupation. Domestically, it ushered in an era of unprecedented stability that was based on a systematic effort at state and institution-building and revolved around Assad’s own authoritarian, highly personalised power, in contrast to past collective leadership. After year of battles between political parties, within the Baath and within the military, Assad represented a “firm, centralised and stable rule”."

In overall, although the source aims to report, it moreover analyses and emotionalizes events. It states that Assas represent a : "firm" and "stable rule" and this resulted from a "pragmatic path" with "successful coups". We see here, that al-Assad rules is thought the international pressure, a little praised as stable and firm. Since it connects the idea of an authoritarian government with the ideas of stability and firmness, instead of globally common connections such as oppressiveness and restriction, it gives a clear perspective and sided view of the story.

Apart from that al-Assad also uses propaganda to keep a strong grip over its nation. Look at this:

CITATION:

WikiMedia. "Al-Assad Politics." Uncyclopedia. N.p., 2012. Web. <http://images.wikia.com/uncyclopedia/images/archive/4/4f/20110520002520!Bashar_al-Assad.jpg>.

"SYRIA UNDER BASHAR (II): DOMESTIC POLICY CHALLENGES." ICG Middle East Report N°24 Amman/Brussels, 11 Feb. 2004. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/Middle%20East%20North%20Africa/Iraq%20Syria%20Lebanon/Syria/Syria%20Under%20Bashar%202%20Domestic%20Policy%20Challenges.ashx>.