Syria’s embattled president already has a Facebook page, Twitter account and a YouTube channel. Now Bashar Assad is turning to the popular photo-sharing service Instagram in the latest attempt at improving his image as his country burns, posting pictures of himself and his glamorous wife surrounded by idolizing crowds.
The photos show a smiling Assad among supporters, or grimly visiting wounded Syrians in the hospital. He is seen working in his office in Damascus, an Apple computer and iPad on his desk. His wife, Asma, who has stayed largely out of sight throughout the conflict, features heavily in the photos, casually dressed and surrounded by Syrian children and their mothers.
The sophisticated PR campaign is striking for an isolated leader who has earned near pariah status for his military’s bloody crackdown on dissent.
It is also in stark contrast to the machinations of other dictators at the centre of Arab Spring revolts. While the ousted Egyptian and Libyan leaders relied on antiquated methods such as state-run media to transmit stilted propaganda, Assad — a 47-year-old British-trained eye doctor — has increasingly relied on social media to project an image of confidence to the world.
The result is an efficient, modern propaganda machine in keeping with the times — but one that appears completely removed from the reality on the ground.
More than 100,000 people have been killed since the uprising against the Assad family’s decades-old iron rule began in March 2011. The revolt has transformed into an insurgency and civil war that has seen the country break up into sectarian and ethnic fiefdoms, uprooting millions of people from their homes.