Hafez al-Assad (1930-2000) was a Syrian politician who served as the President of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000.
Assad pursued a Pan-Arabist approach and managed to position Syria as a regional power. He engaged in a struggle for power with neighbouring countries, including Israel which occupied Syria’s Golan Heights in the 1967 war.
ABC’s Diane Sawyer interviewed Hafez al-Assad in 1991 and asked his opinion on the peace process in the Middle East.
Kevork Almassian is an award-winning political commentator from Syria. He is the founder of Syriana Analysis and is known for his contribution to the literature on the Syrian war.