How Syria’s ‘Geeky’ President Assad Went From Doctor to Dictator
by Sarah Burke / Oct.30.2015 / 6:19 AM ET / Updated Oct.30.2015 /
As the third of President Hafez Assad’s five children — and the second-eldest son — the young Bashar chose instead to become a doctor.
After graduating as an ophthalmologist at Syria’s University of Damascus in 1988, he worked at a local military hospital before moving to London to pursue an advanced degree. There, he met his future wife, British-Syrian Asma Akhras, and lived for two years out of the public eye.
“He was sort of seen as the geeky I.T. guy. He was the eye doctor, spent time in London, had the British-Syrian wife,”