7) The President’s Wife
A Short break from the killing now. It’s worth mentioning the President’s wife because it seems so strange as a backdrop to what we’ve just been reading about. Asma al-Assad was raised in Britain by Syrian parents and was an investment banker before she married into the regime. The American version of Vogue magazine wrote a glowing article about her in March 2011 before hurriedly deleting it when things went sour.
Meanwhile in England, the parents of Asma al-Assad who live in Acton have had enraged demonstrators on their doorstep this week. The couple has had their garden wall toppled, double-glazed windows broken and the front of their home paint-bombed.
The Assad family still remains popular with the middle classes of Syria. They know they’re no angels, but they prefer Assad to the opposition and the turmoil they’ve produced. The middle classes are less affected by Assad’s rough policies and so as far as they’re concerned, it’s better the devil you know.
☛ Next: Syrian Electronic Army
