The above video shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad driving from Damascus to Eastern Ghouta in a Honda Civic to visit the troops on the front lines. The New York Times has an article about it here, but that's not really what I am interested in.
For me this is a very good example of propaganda. Even though I am sure that the route was cleared for Assad and he was never in much danger the idea of a world leader driving around in a war zone like he was a normal person is fairly impressive. Though I am sure that security measures were taken, it does seem like a huge risk to have him driving around in a Honda Civic even if the road had been cleared before hand.
The one thing Assad has been good at is portraying himself as a man of the people. Unlike many Arab leaders he doesn't seem to fear walking among his people. This is obvious propaganda and I doubt it is working that well but at the very least it makes him look a bit different than other leaders in the area.
As for the battle of Eastern Ghouta itself, I haven't had too much to say about it. It's another typical battle in the Syrian civil war where the government is fighting rebels, many of which are Islamic extremists. Since it is taking place in a major city, it is a bloody and terrible affair and one that is causing people to condemn Assad and his forces yet again.
Finally, though the video is obvious propaganda, the New York Times article isn't much better. The article did a good job of demonizing Assad just like the video tried to make him look like a bad ass. I think that both viewpoints are probably correct, Assad is a brutal dictator and a killer as well as being fairly tough as well. He's obviously not a good person but demonization isn't the way to go either.
I also wanted to post the raw video of Assad's drive. It's not translated but it's free from any commentary as well. It's from RT, who obviously also has an agenda as well, but when it comes to Syria who doesn't have an agenda?
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