Al-Jazeera World - Syria: The Reckoning (2013)

Since its independence from France in 1946, Syria has been rocked by periods of political instability. As the colonial hold of the great powers began to fade and the region witnessed a wave of Arab nationalism, Syria shifted through a succession of military coups. But in 1970, Hafez al-Assad, an ambitious minister of defense, seized control. Rising from a humble background in western Syria, he was to rule the country for 30 years. His was an autocratic one-party state in which any dissent was ruthlessly suppressed. Following the death of Hafez in 2000, father was succeeded by son - Bashar al-Assad took the reigns and a dynasty was born. In 2011, with the region in revolt, the al-Assad regime was challenged.

This two-part documentary on the history of modern Syria provides deeper context to the ongoing war in the country. The film charts the rise of the Baath party and the emergence of the Assad political dynasty. Bedeviled by instability, Syria was to become a totalitarian state. Interviews with Syrian analysts, political figures and former army officers, intercut with archive, tell the story of Hafez al-Assad's iron rule and his suppression of religious revivalism and popular will in the past. Yet these powerful grassroots and communal forces could not be stifled indefinitely.

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