The Assads were always brutal monsters but, like Saddam, they were the rulers of their country and generally kept them stable, albeit you'd certainly question their methods. There was some hope for Bashar Al Assad at the start of his rule, which was quickly extinguished.
Syria is another of those former Ottoman Empire countries in the Middle Esst that the Western powers carved up rather arbitrarily and handed out to their favoured rulers post WW1. There was a 'line in the sand' drawn to separate French interests in Syria from the British in Iraq, as part of the secret Sykes-Picot agreement. Syria was overwhelmingly Sunni but the Assads were minority Alawite, which is a bit like a non Muslim becoming head of state in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or Malaysia.
Bashar decided to ally himself with Iran, via support for Hezbollah but it was his brutal put-down of Arab Spring demonstrations in 2011 which really started the current crisis. Things have gone from bad to worse since then of course, with many other actors being dragged in and appalling brutality. The Western powers meddled and, as usual, made things worse rather than better. I actually thought Putin was right to support the established leadership, however bad it was, rather than allowing the unleashing of forces that could seriously destabilise the region. After all, the toppling of dictators in Iraq & Libya worked out so well didn't it?
Like Russia in Ukraine, Turkey occupies large parts of northern Syria. Why is that "right" while the Russian invasion of Ukraine is "wrong"? Double standards again.
Assad, for all his many faults, is still the legitimate Syrian head of state. The UAE is no friend of Iran, which is one of the parties propping up Assad's regime and is the single biggest threat to the Middle East region. If Assad can be weaned away from them, it'll probably be a major step forward in achieving more stability.
But of course all the simpletons in the WhatsApp group, who have suddenly become geo-political "experts", see Assad in Dubai and are crying foul.
