Let us be clear. Bashshar Al-Asad deserves responsibility and blame for the repression in Syria, as long as he enjoys the title of president, which he inherited from his daddy dictator. As for the question posed on the title: it is a political question that should be posed: it has occupied Hanna Batatu in his study of Syria. I have been curious about who is calling the shots in Syria lately. The Syrian people (as represented by some of the chants and slogans) know who is repressing them, and it has been noticeable that they don't mention Asaf Shawkat, who has been held by the ignorant Hariri clan as the ultimate power broker in Syria (ignorant Sa`d Hariri talked plenty about him in Wikileaks--Asaf was influential but not anymore as you shall read below). But a comrade in Syria sent me this exclusive assessment about the power elite in Syria. He says (I am translating with his permission but his name will be held for obvious reasons lest his genitals get electrocuted): "Muhammad Makhluf (uncle of Bashshar) is the actual ruler of Syria with his security arm (his son Hafidh Makhluf) and his financial arm (with his son Rami Makhluf). Mahir Al-Asad tried from early on to control those and to co-opt sons of the `Alawite and Murshidite sect from the militias of Rif`at Asad but he failed...The struggle for power has been for a long time between the Makhulfs and Rif`at Asad within the ruling house. This is how the sons of Rif`at are divided into two sections (and you may see that on Facebook): Durayd Rif`at Asad, is the cuddled son of the regime, while his brother Ri'bal Rif`at Asad is the bitter foe of the regime. Mahir Al-Asad is empty and is managed by remote control, while Bashshar is outside the event and is only a target. Hafidh Makhluf was in the car with Basil when the car accident killed Basil, and he runs the National Security bureau, which was run for a long time by `Abdur-Ra'uf Al-Kasm, and now is run by Iyad Makhluf. He also runs Air Force intelligence, which is the strongest arm of the regime....After the assassination of `Imad Mughniyyah, Asaf Shawkat went to Iran in a delegation with Muhammad Nasif (Abu Wa'il who runs the Lebanese file now), who turned him to the Iranians. (Mughniyyah was assassinated in a quarter run by Asaf Shawkat's men.) He was interrogated under house arrest for months in Tehran, after which he returned to Syria. After that, Bushra Al-Asad spent a year in France and then went to UAE where rumors about her split from the regime started (around a year and a half ago, if you remember). The reason for Bushra's travel, is that Asaf Shawkat sent a hit man to kill her (a man who has been working for him since the days of extermination of Muslim Brothers--the foreign branch). But the man surrendered to Bushra and confessed about everything. She turned the man over to Bashshar, and then Bushra left Syria. In the meanwhile, the entire team of Asaf Shawkat within the Army and Mukhabarat was removed, and Asaf was put under house arrest because he was involved in a white coup, a la Makhuluf family, and not a traditional coup. The reason why he was not killed is the Makhluf family because he was a partner with them in files and businesses. Bushra now lives in Maliki while Asaf remains under house arrest."
PS Arab ruling families are like mafias. Really.
PS Arab ruling families are like mafias. Really.
