Bashar al-Assad

Bashar al-Assad

Bashar al-Assad was the president of Syria from 2000 until his government was overthrown in 2024. His father was Hafez al-Assad.

He now lives in Russia.

Tulsi Gabbard Support

Skeptical of Bashar al-Assad's role in Syrian chemical attack

Tulsi Gabbard questioned whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was responsible for an April 2017 chemical attack against civilians in Syria.

PDA endorsement

Progressive Democrats of America endorsed Tulsi Gabbard in 2017;

"I'm honored by the endorsement of the Progressive Democrats of America. I respect the work and activism of the Progressive Democrats in Hawaii and across the country, and I look forward to continuing our work together as we fight to end the illegal, counterproductive war to overthrow the Syrian government of Assad, protect social security, empower voters with open and transparent elections, end harmful trade agreements such as TPP, and build a strong economy that benefits the American people."

Syria visit

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said on CNN 25th January 2017, that she met with President Bashar Assad during a recent trip to Syria.

"Whatever you think about President Assad, the fact is, he is the president of Syria," Gabbard, said on CNN's "The Lead," to Jake Tapper. "In order for any peace agreement, in order for any possible viable peace agreement to occur, there has to be a conversation with him. The Syrian people will determine his outcome and what happens with their government and their future."

The People's Summit

At The People's Summit, Chicago June 17-19 2016, a Saturday session was held "The People's Agenda";

Moderator Donna Smith - Progressive Democrats of America.

Speakers:

• Jesus "Chuy" Garcia - Commissioner, Cook County.
• Nina Turner - former Ohio State Senate.
• Tulsi Gabbard - Congressmember Hawaii.

According to the People's World;

Conference goers also heard about the importance of fighting against the neo-liberal approach to foreign policy during remarks by Tulsi Gabbard, the Hawaii congresswoman who had quit her position on the Democratic National Committee so she could campaign for Sanders.

Gabbard demanded that the U.S. end what she called its "disastrous policy of going overseas to overthrow governments it does not like.

"By trying to overthrow the Syrian dictator Assad we have made things worse for the people of Syria and this has caused the deaths of more than 400,000 of them and the worst refugee crisis ever. Even if we ever succeeded," she added, Syria would be turned over to ISIS and then see extermination of all political opponents, of people of other faiths and of LGBTQ people.

"And for us here at home, we will never be able to realize healthcare for all, $15 an hour and the social and economic justice we fight for, as long as these military adventures like the ones in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria drain our federal budget. Stop the regime change, stop the wars and rebuild America," she declared, bringing the thousands gathered to their feet in sustained applause.

ACCESS Funding

Bassam Khawam, a former executive director and current board member of the Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services (AACCESS-Ohio), said that Tulsi Gabbard's 2017 trip to Syria wasn’t the first trip his Cleveland-based organization has coordinated for U.S. lawmakers to the Middle East. Founded in 1991 to serve the Arab American community in Ohio, AACCESS has organized three trips to the region for Dennis Kucinich, the former Democratic congressman from Ohio, between 2006 and 2011; Khawam said the group did the same for Gabbard, a two-term Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, because of her expressed interest in the region.