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Text: Zhang Runchen
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introduction
For a long time, the understanding of the Assad brothers on the Internet has generally been limited to the two brothers Bashar and al-Bashir. But in fact, in addition to the above two, the Assad brothers also have Maher and Majid, but compared to the two elder brothers, Maher and Majid are not famous.
But Maher of the Assad brothers is also a legend. Maher was even called "Bashar's last bastion" at one time!
(Maher)
1. Who is Maher
Unlike what we see today, in fact, the original successor of the elder Assad was not Bashar, but his eldest brother Bashir. It is precisely for this reason that the elder Assad will allow Bashar to freely decide his own way out, freely go to England to study medicine, and even open a clinic in England.
In fact, from a series of operations after Bashar took power, especially his economic liberalization operations, it can be seen that Bashar does not fully agree with his father's political views.
This also brings us to the question, that is, after the death of al-Bashir in a car accident, why did the old Assad not choose a new successor among the other brothers, but must choose Bashar, a "Westerner"?
(Old Assad)
In fact, after al-Bashir's death, Maher once became a "hot candidate" as speculated by the outside world. Born in 1967, Maher graduated from the Business School of Damascus University and received a "Syrian" traditional education. Moreover, Maher once served in the army with his eldest brother Bashir, who served as a brigade commander in the Republican Guard.
His troops are also responsible for guarding the key parts of Syria, and this military career has also made Maher quite popular in the Syrian army, and even has a lot of hardcore supporters. It stands to reason that such a traditional Syrian would certainly be more suitable as an heir than Bashar.
(Bashar)
But the problem with Maher is that his personality is simply too frozen. According to people close to Maher, Maher was quite irritable and would even pull out a gun and hit people when he was in a hurry! Even Maher's brother-in-law, Assef Shaukat, deputy chief of staff of the Syrian army, was shot and wounded by Maher in a fit of rage.
Such a "prince" with a violent personality is very suitable as a general, but it is really not suitable as the helmsman of a country. Because he is very likely to become the "next Saddam", Bashar, who is still relatively more moderate in character, is more suitable to be the supreme leader of Syria.
(Maher & Bashar)
2. Bashar's last bastion
At the turn of the millennium, the elder Assad died, and Bashar "inherited the unification." But after Bashar became president of Syria, Maher was not left out in the snub at all, and it seems that Maher has nothing to complain about. Soon after Bashar succeeded to the throne, he promoted Maher to the Central Committee of the Baath Socialist Party, bringing him to the highest decision-making level in Syria.
Soon after, Bashar promoted Maher to the rank of major general and appointed him commander of the Republican Guard and commander of the 4th Panzer Division. Like Iraq, Syria's Republican Guard has a role similar to that of the "Praetorian Guard", and Maher's ability to become the commander of the Republican Guard shows how much Bashar values his brother.
(Syrian Government Army)
Not only that, in 2003, Bashar even secretly sent Maher to Jordan to meet with Israeli representatives in an attempt to promote Syrian-Israeli reconciliation. Syria is the only country that has participated in all five Middle East wars, and its people's disgust with Israel is unspeakable. In doing so, Bashar could even be said to be very risky.
And such a heavy responsibility must be entrusted to the most trusted person, and there is no doubt that Maher is the most trusted person in Bashar. The Fourth Armored Division, which is under the direct command of Maher, is the "hardcore presidential" in the Syrian government army, and 80% of the soldiers in the army are Alawites, which is basically Bashar's hometown.
(Assad's family)
At this time, Maher was in fact the de facto supreme leader of the Syrian military and the second most powerful person in Syria. No matter what country you are in, as long as you want to overthrow the national leader, in fact, it is just a thought. But Maher never thought of it that way, and he was extremely loyal to Bashar.
In 2011, the Syrian civil war broke out. Maher first led his troops to quell the unrest in Dara'a, and then went to support Homs, crushing the opposition's siege of the Homs Military Academy. In 2012, Maher was transferred back to Damascus to preside over the overall situation, which was actually to be transferred back to protect Bashar's personal safety.
(Bashar & Maher)
It can be seen that even in the most critical moment of Bashar's life, he still prefers to hand over his back to Maher. Others, he can't trust them all. In fact, Maher is also quite capable of fighting, but his reputation is not as good as Hassan's of the Tiger Division and the deceased Issam, and there is actually a reason why this is so.
3. The reason for Maher's infamy
The period from 2012 to 2014 was the most critical period of the Syrian civil war, because at that time the Russian army had not yet intervened in the Syrian civil war, and Syria was left on its own. But these two years have also been the most "heroic" period in the Syrian government army. Famous players such as Issam and Hassan all became famous during this period of time.
(Syrian Government Army)
But what was Maher doing all this time? The answer was that he was hospitalized. That's right, in July 2012, Maher was forced to be hospitalized after a suicide attack broke his leg. As a result, Maher also missed out on this period of time to make a name for himself, although in 2013 he was back on the front line.
However, Maher's main battlefield has always revolved around the line between Homs and Aleppo, and this is also the main battlefield of the Tiger Division, so Maher is largely "covered" by Hassan's fame.
Of course, when it comes to tactical ability, Maher really can't compare to Hassan. After all, Hassan grew up on the battlefield, but Maher was mainly commanded in the rear.
(Assad Brothers)
According to the tradition of "brother to brother" in Muslim countries, Maher is likely to be the next leader of Syria. Of course, no one can say what the future will be like now. However, for a relatively irascible prospective heir, it is better to keep a low profile.
Resources
Xinmin Evening News [People] "Famous counterinsurgency general" from Syria's "first family". [OL].2016.12.12.
Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.Foreign media: Syria's "one-legged two masters" ordered "poisoning"?. [OL].2013.08.29.
The Syrian Republican Guard, the last bastion of Bashar. [OL].2012.07.24.
Syrian president's younger brother Maher was blown off a leg in an explosion attack. [OL].2012.06.17.