The Arab spring – and winter – in Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Asad officially took the constitutional oath of office and delivered his inaugural speech on 17 July 2000 in Damascus. By Syrian standards, it was a remarkably enlightened speech, replete with criticisms of certain policies in the past, even those of his predecessor and father, Hafiz al-Asad, who ruled Syria from 1970 until his death in June 2000. The frankness of the speech confirmed the hopes among many in and outside of Syria that indeed Bashar was a breath of fresh air who would lead the country in a new direction.