About the Book : Assad : The Triumph of Tyranny
In Assad: The Triumph of Tyranny, Con Coughlin, veteran commentator on war in
the Middle East and author of Saddam: The Secret Life, examines how a
mild-mannered ophthalmic surgeon has transformed himself into the tyrannical
ruler of a once flourishing country.
Until the Arab Spring of 2011, the worlds view of Bashar al-Assad was largely
benign. He and his wife, a former British banker, were viewed as philanthropic
individuals doing their best to keep their country at peace. So much so that a
profile of Mrs Assad in American Vogue was headlined 'The Rose in