ISIS CALIPHATE. CHAPTER 3. THE SYRIAN SPRING. The eye doctor who burned Syria.

This podcast offers a detailed account of the Al-Assad dynasty in Syria, tracing the transition of authoritarian power from Hafez al-Assad to his son Bashar. The author examines how the regime consolidated its control through a repressive security apparatus, strategic alliances with Iran and Russia, and the management of sectarian tensions between the Alawite minority and the Sunni majority. Critical prewar factors are analyzed, such as a devastating drought that triggered mass migration and Syria’s role as a corridor for jihadists during the Iraq War. The narrative culminates in the outbreak of the Arab Spring, detailing how the state’s violent response transformed peaceful protests into a bloody civil conflict marked by crimes against humanity. Finally, it denounces the use of prisons such as Saydnaya for the systematic torture and extermination of opponents, underscoring the heavy human cost of maintaining power.