al-Assad (Bashar)

Bashar al-Assad (born 1965) was Syria’s president and a key figure in the country’s civil war. Initially trained as an ophthalmologist (a fact often referenced by memes), he became president in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad. His rule saw economic reforms but also increasing authoritarianism. In 2011, Syria’s Arab Spring protests escalated into a brutal civil war. With Russian and Iranian support, Assad retained power, despite allegations of war crimes and mass displacement. His leadership was heavily dependent on foreign allies, particularly Russia, for military and political survival.After al-Assad was ousted by a coalition of Syrian rebels in December 2024, he fled Syria and received political asylum in Russia. Many memes explore an imaginary plot in which V. Yanukovych and Assad meet in Rostov-na-Donu (reportedly, the place of Yanukovych's exile) and are forced to uncomfortably share the same living space. [ChatGPT, edited]