How did Hafez al-Assad rise from an army officer to establish a dynasty that brutally ruled Syria for 54 years? From seizing power in 1970 to the Hama massacre, and Bashar inheriting power, Professor Joshua Landis joined us for an in-depth conversation on the Assad family’s rise to power. Landis, chair and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, has spent nearly 15 years living in the Middle East, including Syria, up until the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. He’s also the author of a forthcoming book on Syria. Today on Real Talk, we take a look at Syria’s history under Hafez al-Assad and unpack how Bashar continued his father’s authoritarian rule after his death in 2000. Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem. Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm
