Assad is sorta in the same position as the shah of Iran was when Carter and guys like you and ETL sold him out, and started this bloody mess.
Current Assad is a son of another Assad who daddy never thought to make the ruler. His older brother drove himself to death so it suddenly happened. Syria is a shithole and while it is an oppressive shithole then the unrest grew to those levels out of hunger.
Loser dumb Assad family tried to turn Syria into an agricultural country and when it failed he started to shoot and torture hungry people.
Assad is not as you describe him. He is not an US educated doctor! He is a loser son of a cruel man who was not even supposed to sit on the throne of Syrian “Republic” and turned already shitty situation into worse.