Bashar al-Assad received a diploma in ophthalmology, after studying medicine at Britain.Bashar al-Assad has held since the death of brother 2000His Syria a crashThe death 1994 car meant Bashar al-Assad was the heir next powerDespite some critical reforms highlight of empty promises(CNN) - Bashar al-Assad was not supposed to Syria rule.
Grew up in the shadow of his father, the late President Hafez Al-Assad and his elder brother, who has been approached to be the next President.
But the death of his father and his brother pushed a young Bashar al-Assad in power. Now, a bloody repression by his regime against pro-reform demonstrators is the definition of his reign.
Reports of deaths across the country to drop in almost every day. The Government has maintained the same story: it is the armed terrorists.
But the opposition activists, say that it is a systematic massacre against civilians supported al-Assad regime. And to the United States moves the appellant al-Assad to resign, said Government sources.
Policy were not in the Asad original career path. He studied medicine in Britain, received a diploma in ophthalmology and led the Syrian computer society.
"Dr. Bashar," as it has been widely known, loved for windsurfing and play volleyball.
But he changed his focus to military science after the death of his elder brother Bassel, in a 1994 car accident.
When his father died in June 2000, it took hours for the Syrian Parliament to vote to amend the constitution to allow al-Assad becoming President. Parliament lowered the age for eligibility of the President of 40 34, allowing the son to take over.
In a few weeks, Al-Assad was also made Member of the Baath party regional command, another requirement of the estate.
Initially, Al-Assad was regarded by some as a fresh, young leader that could pave the way for a more progressive and more moderate regime.
But more than a decade in his rule, video fans of violent demonstrations and bloody body picture a macabre of the conflict in Syria. Human rights groups say that these scenes are the evidence of Syrian security forces firing on their own people, even if the State media dispute these claims.
Initially, the demonstrators want fundamental reforms, more freedoms, a multiparty political system and put an end to the right of emergency. Some of these reforms have, on paper, put out by al-Assad, but they were too little and, at the time they were made, too late.
Syrians live in the fear of political repression for decades. Hafez Al-Assad has decided with a strong hand for three decades, ruthlessly repression of dissent by imprisoning dissidents and crushing of the opposition.
For over 47 years, the country had been under the Emergency Act, which suspended effectively most of the constitutional guarantees, according to the US State Department.
The Act allowed the Government to carry out preventive and arbitrary arrests by the British Foreign Office.
The security forces did not need to obtain arrest warrants and suspects were detained for long periods without charge, trial or access to a lawyer.
The conflict in the past months, Al-Assad lifted a State of emergency and abolished a court established to try persons who pose a threat to the regime. At the same time, arbitrary detentions have continued, as the use of force against demonstrators.
Al-Assad, now 45, denies that he is a dictator, seeing himself as a modern leader.
Site official, said it built areas of free trade, under license of more private newspapers and universities private and fought government waste and corruption. He has also worked on the economic and social reform.
Although that there has been some changes during his reign, much say especially not promises of Al-Assad were held.
Human Rights Watch has called his time as President "the Decade marred" with a media that is controlled by the State, surveillance and censored Internet and prisons still filled with dissidents.
Activists argue that with current events, however, al-Assad is no longer is away.
"It has started listening, said Wissam tariff, Director General of the Insan human rights group." It's time to start to listen and act. It cannot allow any promises. »
Other analysts say force may have worked in the past to suppress dissent, but not this time.
"The Government will try to continue to use the tactics available to it for a very long time, which is just to snuff out any protests," said Anne-Marie Slaughter, Professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University. Today, however, "the wall of fear is coming down."
The late President was a slow, cautious tactician and style of his son may seem modern, he was further educated in the old way of family Assad.
In 1982, the military Syrians - acting on the orders of father Assad - brutally crushed the uprising in the Western town of Hama. Estimates of the number of victims range from 3 000 to 40 000.
Early August, notes once more were killed when tanks in the city, which was a center of anti-Government movement roiling the country.
Many activists are already comparing the devastation now in Hama massacre there in 1982 - but said that what is going to idle rather than in a single, devastating strike. CNN's Arwa Damon and Stan Grant contributed to this report.