They SAY he was western educated. In reality, he is nearly retarded, speaks very little in public to hide the fact, usually only speaking to his chief advisor. Assad had chosen his eldest son to succeed him. Bashar was nearly nonexistent as far as Assad was concerned because he considered him to be a great burden and embarrassment.
Suddenly, his brother *died* in an automobile accident which put the loose cannon, Bashar, on the throne. The West believed they could exercise some control over him and did their best to give him a westernized profile. Unfortunately, once he gained the throne, his advisors had much more access to him and they were Hamas.
Even his glasses were part of a charade. He is supposed to be an optometrist. And I am Queen Latifah