Al-Assad grew up in the shadow of his father , the late president Hafez al-Assad . `` That 's part of what Bashar has been doing ever since he came to power , '' Lesch said . His father ruled with iron fist , jailing some dissidents and marginalizing others . His son , Bashar , enjoyed rare privileges and education as he studied abroad . He was groomed to be a future leader by his father, who died when he was just 19 years old.
Al-Assad grew up in the shadow of his father , the late president Hafez al-Assad . His father ruled with iron fist , jailing some dissidents and marginalizing others . His son , Bashar , enjoyed rare privileges and education as he studied abroad . He was groomed to be a future leader by his father, who died when he was just 19 years old.