Abstract
This paper assesses the political, military and psychological means by which Hafiz al-Asad retained power in Syria for thirty years until his death in 2000. With particular emphasis on the use of coercion, the paper gives an in-depth view of the internal politics of Syria, Asad's mechanisms of state control and coercion and the role of international relations on domestic Syrian affairs.

From the Paper
"Syria was a country that had undergone tremendous political turbulence in the years preceding Asad's ascent to power in November 1970. The last three decades of the twentieth century saw constant upheaval throughout the Middle East and President Asad faced repeated challenges both internally and externally. Asad's success in simply remaining in power is, therefore, worthy of analysis and, as with his counterpart in Iraq, Saddam Hussein, much has been made of the regime's use of coercion in order to maintain its position. Coercion, that is government by force, undoubtedly played a crucial role in shoring up Asad's powerful position within Syria and he was not afraid to use all military means at his disposal to swiftly quash any opponents of the regime. It would be a gross over-simplification, however, to assume that this was the sole means by which Asad's remarkably long-lived presidency ensured its own survival. It is, perhaps, more helpful to view the use of coercion by the regime as the last line of defense of a shrewd leader who, although ultimately reliant on the military to ensure the control of his nation, nonetheless employed a varied and effective strategy to maintain both Syria's position internationally and his position within Syria."

Tags:coercion, east, middle