Former Syrian Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam, in statements to Agence France-Presse, said, “I believe that we should view the army in light of its current reality as a tool for executing the regime’s crimes, but certainly many feel fear, bitterness, and pain.”
He added that “the factor of fear so far has not allowed these individuals to coalesce; this will happen, but not today. It will occur when real international and Arab pressure increases. At that point, the regime’s institutions will unravel, and many will try to jump from the regime’s ship to the sea, hoping for salvation.”
The army is led by individuals from the Assad family, who belong to the Alawite minority. The Syrian president’s son-in-law, Assef Shawkat, holds the position of Deputy Chief of Staff, and the president’s brother Maher heads the Fourth Armored Division, considered the elite division in the Syrian army.
Observers have affirmed that Maher al-Assad played a crucial role in suppressing the protest movement, particularly in the early months.
Regarding Maher, Khaddam, who was part of the Assad regime for 21 years and resigned in 2005, says, “Maher is an execution tool for his brother’s decisions,” confirming that “Maher is linked and committed to his brother.”
Khaddam, currently residing in exile in Paris, states that “the decision-maker in the family and in the regime is Bashar al-Assad. Family members may offer ideas, consultations, or proposals, but he is the one who makes the decision, and the role of others in the family is an executive one.”
According to Khaddam, “Many times, Bashar makes decisions based on someone’s suggestion and then reverses them based on someone else’s suggestion.”
The former Syrian Vice President adds that Bashar al-Assad suffers from “the disease of arrogance and the disease of tyranny in opinion,” noting that there is no real role for women in the family, contrary to some beliefs, especially Bashar’s mother Anisa, his sister Bushra, and his wife Asma al-Akhras. In this context, he says, “They have no real role. Mother Anisa is in Qardaha and is sick, and the sister has been excluded from the decision-making process since her father’s death. I don’t think his wife has a role in what he does.”
Jaiara, who worked as an advisor to former Syrian Prime Minister Mahmoud al-Zu’bi, agrees with this description, considering that “Bashar holds power completely.”
