This week, we wonder about the surprising posture of the Syrian president with Corentin Pennarguear, journalist for the World service of L’Express and specialist in the Middle East.
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The team: Charlotte Baris (presentation), Mathias Penguilly (writing), Léa Bertrand (editing), and Jules Krot (directing).
Credits: France 24, TV5 Monde, France Info, LCI, Public Senate, INA, AFP, Euronews
Music and dressing: Emmanuel Herschon/Studio Torrent
Image credits: AFP
Logo: Anne-Laure Chapelain/Benjamin Chazal
How to listen to a podcast? follow the leader.
Charlotte Baris: As soon as we talk about the Gaza war and its ramifications in the region, we also inevitably talk about political leaders. There are those we hear about every day like Benyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister. Or even Ebrahim Raïssi, the Iranian president, recently killed in a helicopter accident.
There are also certain Middle Eastern leaders whose names come up more occasionally. But whose importance in the region is decisive. King Abdullah of Jordan and Mohamed Ben Salman, the Saudi crown prince are among them.
On the other hand, there is one who has been very, very discreet for months: it is Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria. And this reserve is surprising: Israel has always been its sworn enemy while the Assad clan is renowned for its proximity to the Iran of the ayatollahs.
So why did the man nicknamed the “Butcher of Damascus” choose to step aside at a time when the Middle East is on fire? This is the question we ask La Loupe in this episode.
For further
Bashar al-Assad, a tyrant who is acceptable again?
“A stab in the back”: Assad’s rehabilitation, a nightmare for Syrian opponents
War in Gaza: Does Netanyahu risk making Israel a pariah state?