Word: syrians
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...lower the minimum age for the country's ruler from 40 to 34, not coincidentally Bashar's age. But now that he's legal to rule, Bashar will still face a blistering few months of on-the-job training. Among his key tasks will be reaching out to the Syrian military, intelligence agencies and other pillars of his father's power--including the nation's 15 internal security forces. His father had begun to prepare a hand-off, in what Martha Kessler, a recently retired CIA analyst, said was "one of the most carefully orchestrated transitions ever." But Assad wasn...
...death comes at another one of those precarious moments in the precarious Middle East. Eight months ago there were hopes--in both Washington and Jerusalem--that the end of the Clinton Administration would provide an incentive for a two-track peace deal, one that included the Palestinians and Syrians. This week Israeli and Palestinian leaders jet to Washington to resuscitate their settlement negotiations. But Assad's death seems likely to kill hopes for a fast Syrian-Israeli pact. President Clinton praised Assad for his "commitment to the path of peace." But that was an oversimplification. Assad was committed to peace...
...officials had known for some time that Assad was ill. But the suddenness with which he died surprised nearly everyone, including Israeli intelligence. In northern Virginia, the reports of Assad's death came into CIA headquarters early Saturday morning. The agency's operatives in Damascus were reporting that top Syrian and Baath Party officials were spotted rushing to the presidential palace on a hilltop overlooking the capital city. By early morning Washington time, officials at the U.S. embassy in Damascus, who were working their own sources, had what they believed was solid confirmation that Assad was dead. President Clinton...
...those of his father. He seems to have picked up at least a few of his father's hardball tactics. When his uncle Rifaat--who was exiled to Europe after a failed coup attempt--started questioning Bashar's ability to lead last fall, the younger man's allies led Syrian forces in a raid against an "illegal" coastal stronghold owned by Rifaat...
Changes within the Syrian government started accelerating earlier this year as the elder Assad's health began to decline. A general who had questioned why another Assad should become President was retired, and a former Prime Minister was arrested on corruption charges. Soon after, the entire 37-member cabinet resigned en masse, allowing Bashar to recommend suitable candidates for some jobs in the new cabinet. "An improved administration is the key to this process," he told Al-Hayat, a London-based Arabic paper...