The story of a regime, the dynasty led by Bashar Assad has ruled Syria with an iron fist for 50 years

When in 2011, thousands of young people took to the streets, in Aleppo above all, to demand more democracy and justice, Bashar Assad must have thought of his predecessor Suleiman al-Wahhish, an Alawite originally from the village of Qardaha, in the province of Latakia, whose name in Arabic means "beast."

But he must also have remembered his uncle Rifaat, nicknamed "the butcher of Hama" for a massacre ordered in 1982 against the Sunni population.

He must have done this, because there was a moment when the Syrian president could have been open to the demands of the Sunni youth. And, at first, that two-armed leader who so intrigued Westerners also promised reform.

Then, in a speech given in June 2012, which legend has it that he had two versions ready, one of which was never spoken and was written by a young employee on his staff, who was later disappear, Bashar, warned: "We will defeat the terrorists".

The same words were used on Saturday to comment on the progress of pro-Turkish rebels in Aleppo.

Years of massacres, torture, a civil war, an alliance with Moscow that cost the lives of half a million people who died in chemical and non-chemical attacks, very serious accusations of war crimes, open trials in Europe, accusations of corruption.

But also a war against ISIS and a not always easy alliance with Tehran to support Hezbollah in Lebanon.

These are the years of Bashar's presidency. A "perfect storm", aggravated by the economic crisis, one of the worst in the world, closely related to the Lebanese one and the sanctions imposed by the US administration, determined to weaken Moscow's ally in the region.

A tsunami, in reality, more than a storm, which the Assad family has - so far - managed to survive. "Assad, the story of a ruling clan for half a century," were the headlines in 2020. The threat of a coup in Damascus was the rumor just 48 hours ago.

Has the saga ended like every other Netflix series? It is not known how the Syrian president reacted when he saw the statue dedicated to his older brother Basel toppled by rebels in the New Aleppo area on Friday.

But it doesn't take a psychoanalyst to understand that, even in this case, Bashar must have thought about his family's history.

Basel was supposed to be president. He was the favorite of his father Hafez, the only one who was considered worthy.

After joining the army at a very young age, he became the head of the Republic Guard. Dubbed the "golden knight" by the regime press for his horsemanship, he was compared by former CIA director Michael Hayden to Sonny from "The Godfather".

For Hafez it was a guarantee: much better than Maher, very prone to violence (today he is the head of the army division that controls the drug trafficking of the captagon type), or, even more so, than Majad, the younger brother of to the Asad family, addicted to heroin and with serious psychiatric problems. But even better than Bashar.

But Basel, passionate about fast cars, was involved in a road accident in 1994, changing the course of history.

And Hafezi, increasingly frail – he died in 2000 of a heart attack while on the phone with Lebanese President Émile Lahoud – was forced to return Bashar to his homeland.

After graduating from medical school, the second son was sent to the United Kingdom to specialize in ophthalmology.

Although he has never shown any interest in political life, nor the character fit to command, he quickly enlists in the army and becomes president, thanks to a change in the law that prohibits minors under 35 from holding office.

Spoiled, cruel and cynical, Bashar will be the leader, while the Assad saga is enriched by internal battles between wives and relatives, such as that between first lady Asmaa and the Makhlouf cousins, with murder and trafficking.

When the rebels took Aleppo, Bashar Assad was safe in Moscow. He then returned to Damascus, but some are already betting that he won't be there long. However, it is not yet known how long this situation will last.