Quotes & Sayings About Assad

For America, Britain, and the Western powers, the rise of ISIS and the caliphate is the ultimate disaster. Whatever they intended by their invasion of Iraq in 2003 and their efforts to unseat Assad in Syria since 2011, it was not to see the creation of a jihadi state spanning northern Iraq and Syria, run by a movement a hundred times bigger and much better organized than the al-Qaeda of Osama bin Laden. The war on terror for which civil liberties have been curtailed and hundreds of billions of dollars spent has failed miserably. — Patrick Cockburn

IS [Islamic State] has played a major role in helping Bashar al-Assad to reposition Syria on the international scene. Now, it is almost impossible to come up with a solution that would exclude him. The political game appears to be very cynical indeed. — Tariq Ramadan

We are facing an external attack against us, which is more dangerous than any other previous wars ... We are dealing with those who are extremists, who only know the language of killing and criminality. — Bashar Al-Assad

Strike the enemy's settlements, turn them into dust, pave the Arab roads with the skulls of Jews. — Hafez Al-Assad

I cannot afford to make mistakes. — Bashar Al-Assad

If you are going to be a mediator or arbitrator you have to be in the middle between the two sides; you cannot take sides only with one party. — Bashar Al-Assad

As far as we are concerned, we Syria have not changed. — Bashar Al-Assad

I don't believe in war, I believe in the principle of deterrence. — Bashar Al-Assad

Bashar Assad has been so brutal toward the Sunni within Syria that he created the space that led to the people of Syria themselves to stand up and try to overthrow him. That led to the chaos which allowed ISIS to come in and take advantage of that situation and grow more powerful. — Marco Rubio

If you want to be transparent with your people, do not do anything cosmetic, whether to deceive your people or to get some applaud from the West. — Bashar Al-Assad

The more we ignore Assad and negotiate an appeasement with Iran, the more Sunni and Shia extremists will multiply and flood Syria. — Ziad K. Abdelnour

Terrorism is a state of mind that on the one hand has to do with ignorance and, on the other hand, can be attributed to a feeling of desperation over the political situation, which at some point takes the form of revenge. — Bashar Al-Assad

Hillary Clinton called President Assad a "reformer". She called Assad a "different kind of leader".
There's now 400,000 now dead ... think about that. — Chris Christie

To me, what I've always said is that the president [Barack Obama] has set up an awful situation through his deal with Iran, because what his deal with Iran has done is empower them and enrich them. And that's the way ISIS has been created and formed here. ISIS is created and formed because of the abuse that [Bashar] Assad and his Iranian sponsors have rained down on the Sunnis in Syria. — Chris Christie

How can you be afraid to feel? Isn't fear a feeling? If you're feeling fear, you've felt one of the most negative emotions there is to feel. Everything else should be a piece of cake. Feel good, feel happy, feel healthy, feel loved, feel abundant, feel creative, feel compassionate, feel knowledgeable, feel powerful. — Bashar Al-Assad

Hany Abu-Assad was sitting next to me, and his film 'Paradise Now' had won the Golden Globe. He said to me at the Globes, 'Paradise now, talk to you later.' [laughs] I gave him a big hug for that. — Gavin Hood

I hereby arm myself for today with coffee and the willingness to be wrong. — Audrey Assad

Assad's regime helped ISIS grow by attacking other opposition forces and rarely targeting ISIS. — Richard Engel

As a human being, I will always feel that where there is oppression, I am with the underdog. — Hany Abu-Assad

Assad's failure to meet deadline on destroying chemical weapons is just the latest example of Obama's failed Syria policy. — Ziad K. Abdelnour

Does anyone believe that Kofi Annan scares Bashar Assad? — Elliott Abrams

Assad whistled a few notes of one of his native country's melancholic songs. It sounded as though he was whistling backwards — Jussi Adler-Olsen

The transition from tyranny to democracy is very hard. The Syrian people have to handle this in a way that works in Syria. And the brutality of the Assad regime is unacceptable. — Jacob Lew

The Israeli lobby has clout in the U.S., which means that re-arranging the region and controlling its resources one way or another, will serve Israel through its control over the American administration. — Bashar Al-Assad

While starving refugees in Homs were providing target practice for government snipers, Bashar al-Assad's strongest international backer was in Sochi, at the Iceberg Skating Palace, visibly moved, smiling with deep satisfaction, as the Russians beautifully glided and leaped their way to the gold medal in the team event. — George Packer

Clinton impressed Assad: a young man who appeared to want to be neutral in the Arab-Israeli dispute - an illusion of course, but that's what Assad thought. — Robert Fisk

We know that russians are deeply engaged in supporting Assad because they want to have a place in the Middle East. They have a naval base, they have an air base in Syria. — Hillary Clinton

Humanity has survived because the strong among us have, in the past, been obliged to help the weak. Without this, we would not survive. — Hany Abu-Assad

Israeli interests are not necessarily in harmony with the American interests. — Bashar Al-Assad

An intelligence officer from a Middle Eastern country neighboring Syria told me that ISIS members say they are always pleased when sophisticated weapons are sent to anti-Assad groups of any kind, because they can always get the arms off them by threats of force or cash payments. — Patrick Cockburn

Armies are not only for offensives. — Bashar Al-Assad

This is the Middle East, where every week you have something new; so whatever you talk about this week will not be valuable next week. — Bashar Al-Assad

In Syria, if [Bashar al-] Assad had just been a statesman and handed over the reigns in time, Syria would not be heading down the nightmare that it is today. — Richard Branson

Turkey wants to see Bashar al-Assad go and wants to kind of expand its sphere of influence into Turkey so its Ottoman glory or Ottoman past are once again project into the Syrian provinces. That's kind of what Turkey's vision is. — Richard Engel

Look at the results of regime change in Iraq. You can't possibly claim that it was successful. — Bashar Al-Assad

A movie should entertain you in a way that will also open your mind. I think movies are tools to enrich your experience. — Hany Abu-Assad

In an odd way, we have really destroyed two of our strongest allies against the Islamists. Saddam Hussein, and we've probably fatally undermined Bashir al Assad in Syria. — Michael Scheuer

Was she pregnant then?' asked Assad. Judging by the number of family members in his photos, it was a feminine condition with which he was quite familiar. — Jussi Adler-Olsen

Bashar Assad is one of the main reasons why ISIS even exists to begin with. Assad is a puppet of Iran. — Marco Rubio

It's not exactly fair to make a mistake yourself and then start blaming others for it. — Bashar Al-Assad

It is not my democracy as a person; it is our democracy as a society. — Bashar Al-Assad

All dignified people in the world, whether Arabs or Muslims or others with dignity, are very proud of the speech made by president Bashar al-Assad a few days ago here in Damascus. For me he is the last Arab ruler, and Syria is the last Arab country. It is the fortress of the remaining dignity of the Arabs, and that's why I'm proud to be here. — George Galloway

Time travel is one of Assad's major achievements, the problem is he only perfected it one way: backward. — Ziad K. Abdelnour

Is there an equality of power between America and Iraq? Definitely not; however, the Iraqi people are standing fast and are defending their land courageously. — Bashar Al-Assad

Russia is emerging as an essential diplomatic and security partner for the U.S. in Syria, despite the Obama administration's opposition to Moscow's support for President Bashar al-Assad. — David Ignatius

We have always said there are two ways to resolve Syria, and both will end up with the same result: a Syria without Bashar Assad. — Adel Al-Jubeir

When our interests matched, the Americans have been good to us, and when the interests differed, they wanted us to mold ourselves to them, which we refused. — Bashar Al-Assad

I don't think that the United States has the bulk of the responsibility. I really put that on [Bashar] Assad and on the Iraqis and on the region itself. — Hillary Clinton

The fact that there are people who criticize me doesn't mean that people hate me. — Bashar Al-Assad

Worry does not mean fear, but readiness for the confrontation. — Bashar Al-Assad

While all Alawites fear vengeance against their entire community should Assad fall, there are varying degrees of loyalty to the Assads. — Elliott Abrams

Trust that the thing in life that excites you the most comes complete with all the tools necessary to support you in the doing of that thing. It is automatic; it is built in. All you need to do is act on the opportunities that doing that situation brings to you. — Bashar Al-Assad

It is clear that the American people are weary of war. However, Assad gassing his own people is an issue of our national security, regional stability and global security. — Nancy Pelosi

I believe if we let go of Assad now, we might as well forget the whole region. — Ziad K. Abdelnour

There is no such things as "Islamic terrorism," because terrorism differs from Islam. There's just terrorism, not Islamic terrorism. But the term "Islamic terrorism" has become widespread. — Bashar Al-Assad

We have Islamic rebels [in Syria] who've been eating the hearts or organs of their enemies. We have priests that have been killed. We have Christian villages that have been razed by Islamic rebels. We have Islamic rebels who say they don't recognize Israel and would just as soon attack Israel as [Bashar] Assad. So really, I see no clear-cut American interest, and I'm afraid that sometimes things unravel, and the situation could become less stable and not more stable. — Rand Paul

Is Russia worried that defeating Daesh will open the door for defeating Bashar Assad? That would be a different story. But I don't think World War III is going to happen in Syria. — Adel Al-Jubeir

Israel lost its war. Will Assad's enemies lose, too? — Robert Fisk

America must listen. It must listen to the interests of others. But the US government has no interest in similarities, no matter how obvious. — Bashar Al-Assad

But for us, in Syria, we have principles. We'll do anything to prevent the region from another crazy war. It's not only Syria. Because it will start in Syria ... — Bashar Al-Assad

I like movies that deal with trapped men. Men that need to make choices that are not obvious or easy choices. Then how do you visualize this? You create this character conflicted between two sides, because drama is about the conflict of two things, between your duty and your will, between what you want and what you can't have. It is all conflict between two things, and this is why you put your character in a place where you can visualize the conflict. — Hany Abu-Assad

Assad has to go. I mean, the way that ISIS can recruit, and the rebels that are in the north, and all the chaos that's happening through a lot of Syria circles around a lot of people that do not like Assad. — James Lankford

I still think a reasonable question is, would we be better off with [Muamar] Gadhafi and Bashar al-Assad still in there and Mubarak still there and Saddam [Hussein] there than the crap we have got looking at us now? — Chris Matthews

Well, I think the U.S. has been careful not to go too far in attacking Iran's allies, in particular in attacking Hezbollah forces in Syria, which have been propping up the regime of Bashar al-Assad. — David Ignatius

But the issue has to do with land, which is our land. — Bashar Al-Assad

I think [Bashar] Assad is a bad guy, a very bad guy, all right? — Donald Trump

Senator Kerry was fooled by Bashar al-Assad. — Elliott Abrams

When I was younger, I did dark movies. It was a reflection of what I saw around me. — Hany Abu-Assad

Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very turbulent time, and our leadership has gone crazy. — Hany Abu-Assad

You have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people. This is the core issue. When there is divergence between your policy and the people's beliefs and interests, you will have this vacuum that creates disturbance. — Bashar Al-Assad

None of us and none of the Arabs trust Israel. — Bashar Al-Assad

Let's not forget: This all began when you had eight- and nine-year-old children writing graffiti on walls. Their parents were told: "You will never see them again. If you want to have children, go to your wife and make new ones." [Bashar] Assad's people rebelled. He crushed them brutally. But his military could not protect him. So he asked the Iranians to come in and help. — Adel Al-Jubeir

Israel ranks her priorities in the following way: security, land, and water. — Bashar Al-Assad

The one way, possibly, out of this is for [Bashar] Assad to abdicate and plead, perhaps to Russia or somewhere else. Would save another wave of civilian casualties if we could get him to abdicate. — Rand Paul

If we have the kinds of confirmation that we need, we will once again work with the international community and the organization charged with monitoring compliance by the Syrian government, and we will reach out to patrons of Assad like Russia to put a stop to it. — Barack Obama

What holds an Arab leader in power is a mixture of violence and prestige. Both President Assad and King Hussein were felt to have defended Arab interests against the world. That, in the end, is more important than what they wear on their head. — James Buchan

[Enemies of Syria] are the enemies of the people and the enemies of God. And the enemies of God will go to hell. — Bashar Al-Assad

Syria is lucky to have Bashar al-Assad as her President. — George Galloway

It's difficult to see how Syria can have any long-term future with Assad there as president. Many people would never return to that country if that were the case. — George Osborne

No doubt that the U.S. is a super-power capable of conquering a relatively small country, but is it able to control it? — Bashar Al-Assad

Hillary Clinton failed to mention that her agreement with a precipitous withdrawal and declaration of victory in 2011 helped left swaths of territory and weaponry from ISIS. She failed to mention that she described Bashar al-Assad as a positive reformer and opened an American embassy. She failed to mention a complete failure strategy in Libya, which now is enabling ISIS to move into Libya. — Carly Fiorina

Hamas will not disappear. Hamas will not raise the white flag. Hamas has the trust of the people, and anyone who wishes to destroy it must destroy an entire people. — Bashar Al-Assad

I am not a puppet. I was not made by the West to go to the West or to any other country. — Bashar Al-Assad

If you ask Americans whether they've been successful at sealing the border with Mexico, they'll tell you that it's a very difficult proposition. — Bashar Al-Assad

The principal sponsors of the terrorists are not religious fanatics. "Palestine's Yasser Arafat, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, and Syria's Assad family have made themselves the icons of Islamism despite the fact that they are well-known atheists who live un-Muslim lives and have persecuted unto death the Muslim movements in their countries." — William F. Buckley Jr.

I invite President Assad to come to Jerusalem and to speak with me, with our parliament, with whomever he wants to speak in Israel and in the territories among the Palestinians. — Yitzhak Rabin

Bashar al-Assad and those who still stand by him are now responsible for the deaths of more than 20,000 in Syria. — Susan Rice

'Shabiha' is a difficult word to translate into English. It comes from the word Syrians used to describe the luxury Mercedes favored by the Assad family's operatives that the enforcers of the regime used to move money, smuggle weapons and intimidate opponents. — Richard Engel

I feel like my job is to give hope. The world is in a dark place and we are living in somewhat of a nightmare. So I want to make films to give hope. — Hany Abu-Assad

They want to criticize you, let them criticize and do not worry. Just be transparent with your people and tell them this is the reality. — Bashar Al-Assad

I don't read the news anymore because I know it would make me depressed. So instead, I make beauty. I make movies. — Hany Abu-Assad

You cannot reform your society or institution without opening your mind. — Bashar Al-Assad

America is interested in re-arranging the region as it sees fit. — Bashar Al-Assad

There is a political process which we are trying to achieve through what is called the Vienna Group. That involves the establishment of a governing council, which is to take power away from Bashar Assad, to write a constitution and to open the way for elections. It is important that Bashar leaves in the beginning, not at the end of the process. This will make the transition happen with less death and destruction. — Adel Al-Jubeir

Every country has criminals who have to be fought. They can exist anywhere, including the government or the army - or outside the government and army. — Bashar Al-Assad

US Vice President Joe Biden gave the US government's real view of its regional and Syrian allies with undiplomatic frankness when speaking at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard University's Institute of Politics on October 2. He told his audience that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and UAE were so determined to take down Assad and essentially have a proxy Sunni-Shia war. What did they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad, except that the people who were being supplied were al-Nusra and al-Qaeda and the extremist elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world. — Patrick Cockburn

Personally, I do not support the concept of suicide bombings. This is not part of our [syrian] culture. But whether you condemn them or not, suicide bombings are a reality. — Bashar Al-Assad

I am president, I don't own the country so they are not my forces. — Bashar Al-Assad

It is always an eerie experience to sit among Bashar al-Assad's soldiers. — Robert Fisk

[Vladimir] Putin wants to keep [Bashar] Assad in power and expand his own military base in Syria, whatever the cost. I even believe he has an interest in more and more people fleeing the country. The flow of refugees improves his negotiating position toward the West, including the German chancellor. — Garry Kasparov