I wouldn’t rate him alongside Mubarak.
He’s not an Islamist nutjob. He’s just a power-hungry sociopath playing the angles with Russia and Iran, not unlike his dad.
Mark Levin described the Assads succinctly. They are essentially mobsters who seized power at an opportune moment. It’s like Al Capone running Syria, and Bashar was not even supposed to be there. His brother got assassinated and he moved up.
Regardless, he is a little like Gaddafi, having mellowed his country in recent years before the uprising. He’s not interested in persecuting Christians. However, he is a key ally of Iran, and their only path through the air to bomb Israel.
I have said from the start. The whole thing is fu8cked up.
I think the Assads would occasionally do some sabre rattling against Israel, especially about reclaiming the Golan Heights, for public consumption.
But I think deep down they really don’t care about it, and certainly don’t want to go to war with Israel about it, but still, they have to “keep up appearances.” All they care about is staying in power, and avoid being strung up, like Mussolini or Gaddhafi.