Bashar Al-Assad. The Web of Interests Surrounding Syria’s Dictator

The Paris attacks in November 2015 have intensified the urgency of a resolution to the Syria conflict. The Syrian civil war that has been tearing apart the country for more than four years created the power vacuum which the Islamic State filled with its reign of terror. In a conflict as multi-layered as this war, there are, of course, many reasons of why peace negotiations have reaped so little success, but one of them has undeniably become the role of President Bashar al-Assad.

As many of the most recent peace negotiations show, the major obstacle to agreeing on an action plan for political transition in Syria has been the future of Assad in the country’s government. Assad’s role is very controversial as his regime is a close ally for some and the epitome of oppression for others. After briefly examining major stakeholder interests, this report aims to show that the controversy over Assad’s future has become the prime reason for failure of most recent peace negotiations for Syria.