Things have changed in Syria since the British-born wife of Bashar al-Assad was the subject of a flattering Vogue article titled Asma al-Assad: A Rose in the Desert.
It began:
"Asma al-Assad is glamorous, young, and very chic--the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies..."
Quite the opener. Even then, before the current brutal crackdown, the Vogue article was met with disgust in some quarters. The abysmal human rights track record in Syria made a fluff piece about the first lady seem tasteless in the extreme. According to Gawker, Vogue now appears to be embarrassed by the article because it has vanished, replaced by an "OOPS... the page you are looking for cannot be found".
In the intervening months there has been a descent into domestic turmoil in Syria, fomented according to Bashar al-Assad by "terrorists", "traitors" and a "foreign conspiracy".
There is a measure of truth to his claim. There has been foreign pressure and interference by regional players. But the main impetus for change has come and is coming from the Syrian people. Years of stagnation, a tenth five-year plan that didn't deliver, concentration of wealth and power in the hands of those with regime connections, the lack of a social security net ... just some of the reasons why Bashar al-Assad is facing anger in the streets.
Syria hasn't been immune from the tidal wave of change ushered in by the Arab Spring. Neither has it been insulated from the revolution in communication technologies. YouTube is a window al-Assad can't close. Video after video bears witness to the brutality of the crackdown. It makes the President's narrative of denial look like the BS it is.
Evidence has been mounting of crimes committed by Syrian forces against civilians. Amnesty International has called on the Arab League to address ongoing allegations of serious human rights abuses.
Al-Assad although undoubtedly complicit, continues to engage in denial when addressing the events unfolding around him. He stated just this week that 'There is no order about opening fire on any citizen...'. Who is he trying to kid.
Bashar's father Hafez al-Assad, ruled Syria with an iron fist. His image dominated the public square like a presiding deity. In some loyalist circles Bashar - recipient of refracted glory - is accorded similar respect.
The Assad appeal is rapidly wearing thin. Al Jazeera published a broadcast from a mosque by an indignant imam who complained that:
"Assad's soldiers – God curse them – say Assad is their God; if that doesn't make you angry, what will?"
For more - Al Jazeera
See also - Al Jazeera Syria blog and The Guardian
