I agree. Assad is not your run-of-the-mill Middle Eastern dictator. He was educated in the West. He married a woman from London and they have a very Western-appearing family. (For instance, no hideous burkas in sight.) He is also an Alawite Muslim, and the Alawites tolerate Christians and even celebrate certain Christian and Jewish holidays. If you watch interviews with him, he comes off as a highly intelligent man, not an unhinged lunatic dictator. He's a lot like Putin in his personality. Assad may never win Man of the Year, but you can't convince me these so-called "rebels" (bloodthirsty CIA-trained Al Qaeda/ISIS neanderthals) are a better option for Syria and the Middle East.

The Assad family: https://www.thetimes.com/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2Ff2d6cf14-eb80-11e9-b931-c019e957f02a.jpg

Assad interview: https://youtu.be/m-q9_Dsb2OE?si=E1wRpTER8C8y6pnk