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The loss was observed in the 20th century. in the early 1980s, when Sulifman al-Wahhish’s son Rifat al-Assad allegedly tried to expel his older brother and then President Hafez al-Assad. Incidentally, al-Assad himself usurped power after a coup d’etat a decade ago. H. al-Assad successfully avoided his brother’s traps and taught his son Bashar al-Assad how to stop the uprisings (both family and otherwise) as soon as they began.
Al-Assad listened carefully to the teachings, as evidenced by his bombings of Syrian cities, which killed or left millions homeless in 2011. He rebelled against the country’s ruler. It also has dozens of cousins and cousins firmly attached, using monetary incentives and death threats.
However, something incredible happened last month. Rami Makhlouf, a cousin-in-law of B. al-Assad and one of the wealthiest family members, opposed the president’s order to pay overdue taxes of $ 230 million. Dollars, and shattered the image of solidarity in the fragile family.
After the incident, several cousins of al-Assad publicly questioned the effectiveness of the Syrian presidential government and indirectly attacked it. Makhlouf’s criticism is probably the point of a change in the Assad regime. If you lose the loyalty of your family members and other fanatically dedicated people, it’s worth considering whether you’ll be able to stay in power.
Rami Makhloufas
Although Ms. Makhlouf’s obligation to pay previously unpaid taxes appeared to be backed by provocation, Mr. al-Assad found it a requirement of reciprocity. According to current estimates, the asset value of tycoon R. Makhlouf is $ 5 billion. AMERICAN DOLLAR. He amassed impressive wealth only because his companies, including the country’s largest telecommunications company, Syriatel, received the blessing of the al-Assad regime.
When Syria found itself in a crisis of economic sanctions (the Syrian pound devalued from £ 50 per US dollar in 2011 to more than £ 3,000 per US dollar in 2020 and 90% of the country’s population is believed to be living in extreme poverty ), his regime wants Makhlouf’s help so that the country’s economy does not collapse once and for all. However, Mr. Makhlouf was not persuaded for that reason.
In May, Makhlouf posted several online amateur videos in which, despite courteous words, he warned al-Assad that he was in danger of losing the support of many Alavites working for the magnate, including the military.
Al-Assad’s cousin exploited strained relations between sects and implied that the president’s wife, Sunni, was to blame for everything. Supposedly she wants to steal money from Alavita. With such leads, Makhlouf questioned al-Assad’s devotion to his sectarian group.
This conflict gave new hope to B. al Assad’s rivals. They hope that Makhlouf has irreparably damaged the president’s reputation among the Alavis and opened the door to challenge his role as head of regime, despite the apparent fact that al-Assad will fiercely oppose any direct opposition from his family.
History seems to repeat itself again. Ribal al-Assad, 45, a front-row cousin to the Syrian president and son of his uncle Rifat, is one of those who has experienced the wrath of B. al-Assad. 1994 Mr. al-Assad called him to the Sheraton Hotel in Damascus with ugly words, and the dispute turned in an unpleasant direction.
Asthma Assad
Frightened, R. al-Assad’s father bought a plane ticket for his son and asked him to leave. At the airport, the presidential guards fired weapons and wandered for two and a half hours, waiting for al-Assad. He was arrested, but soon released, when Rifaat threatened al-Assad to fight on all the streets of Damascus if “at least one hair fell out of his son’s head,” Ribal al-Assad himself told Foreign Policy.
He now lives in voluntary exile in Spain and became isolated at home when he received an instant message regarding Makhlouf’s first video clip. Al-Assad called the video an “attempted threat” and said he was laughing when he first saw it. “I know Ram personally, he is a coward, he will not oppose the regime. He is nothing without Mr. al-Assad, said Mr. al-Assad. – Lives can be lost for less exaggeration, not to mention the challenge of Assad on social media. This is a good show. Al-Assad is using Makhlouf to tell the Russians that the president will lose the support of the Alavites and that this will harm their interests in the coastal area where the naval base is located and the Russian airport. “
Ribal recalled the 1999 October 20 events when his family home on the Latakia coast was attacked by soldiers under the regime to ensure that Bashar, not Ribal’s father Rifat, became Hafez’s heir. “My uncle Hafez was ill, so it was only a matter of time before the new head of state came to power. The regime wanted Bashar to be with him, and he made sure no one interfered with his plans, and he was ready to crush any opponent. That is why the soldiers attacked our homes and supporters, “he said.
Many of Rifat’s children have sworn allegiance to Bashar and continue to live in Syria, but they still feel resentment. One of them is Douraid al Assad. He adhered to the demands of the regime for a long time and glorified B. al-Assad, but recently things have changed. On May 7, shortly after the release of Makhlouf’s videos, Douraid posted a scathing message on Twitter asking Bashar to meet hundreds of relatives who bear the same name but live a completely underprivileged life. “People say that Syria is governed by the Assad family,” Douraid wrote. – I have a petition. 100-200 family members have not met you and want to see you. Many have grown up and had children, but they only saw you on television. ”
Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat who currently lives in the United States, said al-Assad’s recent courage had a hidden motive. “Such open audacity has never been tolerated,” he said. – Now Douraid openly defies Bashar and presents his father Rifaat as an alternative. If Douraid was not convinced that the community was angry with Bashar, he would not dare say so. “
Ribal and Douraid’s opposition is based in part on their families’ claims to political power. But other family members, including Cousin General Adnan al-Assad, feel left out of family affairs and accumulated wealth, such as Mr. Makhlouf. Adnan led an irregular army and fought on Hafez’s side against the Islamic Brotherhood in 1982. This clash later became known as the Hamas massacre. Thousands of fraternity members and civilians were killed during them. In a recent letter to Makhlouf, he made it clear that he felt that he had not received an adequate reward for loyalty.
Although Adnan reproached the magnate for causing unnecessary panic and described him as a “blue whale among rich whales,” he presented himself as a true victim of a corrupt regime and carefully stabbed his cousin, the president. “I am selling my property to meet the needs of my family, because despite 42 years of service in the military, my salary is only $ 50,” said the letter, which recalls flattering skin full of complaints, allegedly exploited by the regime on several occasions. .
In October, the Arab media reported a more overt threat to the al-Assad government from his aunt’s Bahia family. Her son Ghaydaq fought for Bashar during the uprising in Deir ez-Zoro, but died in Latakia after a confrontation with a regime soldier who came to arrest Ghaydaq on vague charges. In a Facebook message, members of the Ghaydaq family vowed revenge, but, scared by retaliation, later deleted the message.
Basharas al Assadas, Asma Assad
As the Syrian economy collapses, al-Assad’s common supporters begin to consider whether it was worth sacrificing. Loyal supporters of the regime paid blood for Bashar’s survival and lost hundreds or even thousands of people during the uprising. At the end of the war, they expected some material benefits: more work, promotions, or a preference by the government to place orders with companies. Unfortunately, the bankrupt government left them poorer and hungrier. Barabandi said that the Alavites had surprised Makhlouf-B. Al Assado saga. “They think they lost a lot and in the end they didn’t get any reward,” said the former Syrian diplomat. “They are angry to see these two cousins angry at billions when ordinary people suffer from scurvy.”
Several Syrian foreign policy experts have said that al-Assad is undoubtedly losing the support of the Alavites. However, they also argued that the regime continues to rule the country with an iron fist, making it too early to talk about the president’s vulnerability. It is no secret that Ribal and Douraid wanted Hafez to be succeeded by their father, Rifathae, and not Bashar. However, the old man’s past has been tainted by allegations of involvement in the Hamas massacre, and he is 82 years old, probably too late to arrive in Damascus with bloody battles. However, Ribal is young and does not deny that he wants to actively participate in Syrian political life. “Of course I want to, but right now, only in the opposition, not in the government,” he told Foreign Policy.
Another family eager to return to power is made up of descendants of Mustafa Tlasso. They supported the regime for a long time, but moved to the opposite side of the barricades during the uprising. Mustafa’s son, Manaf Tlass, belonged to the immediate environment of B. al Assad and was one of the most important commanders in the army. Manaf, who now lives in Paris, told the Russian media that there would be alternatives to al-Assad if Russia agreed to support his family. Manaf’s brother Firas, a businessman living in the United Arab Emirates, believes Manaf is an alternative to Bashar and wants to play a role in Syrian political life, but would only return to the country “after Bashar left. “
So far, Russia is more interested in controlling al-Assad than replacing another president. It will be harder for him to rule the country in the future, but it will be easier than ever for Russia to rule it.
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