Assad cover art

Assad

The Triumph of Tyranny

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Assad

By: Con Coughlin
Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

In Assad: The Triumph of Tyranny, Con Coughlin, veteran commentator on war in the Middle East and author of Saddam: The Secret Life, examines how a mild-mannered ophthalmic surgeon has transformed himself into the tyrannical ruler of a once flourishing country.

Until the Arab Spring of 2011, the world’s view of Bashar al-Assad was largely benign. He and his wife, a former British banker, were viewed as philanthropic individuals doing their best to keep their country at peace. So much so that a profile of Mrs Assad in American Vogue was headlined ‘The Rose in the Desert’. Shortly after it appeared, Syria descended into the horrific civil war that has seen its cities reduced to rubble and thousands murdered and displaced, a civil war that is still raging over a decade later.

In this vivid and authoritative account Con Coughlin draws together all the strands of Assad's remarkable story, revealing precisely how a young doctor ensured not only that he inherited the presidency from his father, but has held on to power by whatever means necessary, continuing to preside over one of the most brutal regimes of modern times.

©2023 Con Coughlin (P)2023 Macmillan Publishers International Limited
Middle East Politicians Presidents & Heads of State War Civil War Royalty Military King
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Search for Al Qaeda cover art
Overreach cover art
The Last Shah cover art
China's Civilian Army cover art
The Plot cover art
JFK vs. Allen Dulles cover art
Man and State cover art
Blood Washing Blood cover art
The Decade in Tory cover art
Agents of Subversion cover art
Legacy cover art
Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect cover art
Escape from Kabul cover art
The End of Iraq cover art
The American War in Afghanistan cover art
Assad or We Burn the Country cover art

Critic reviews

An important, compelling, and detailed examination of the failure of Western powers to act decisively in the early years of the Syrian Civil War and to prevent one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the early twenty-first century. In this significant new book, Con Coughlin provides a superb analysis of the West’s policy missteps and the tragic consequences of them. (General David Petraeus)
Fascinating, timely and sharp, Con Coughlin delivers a lucid portrait of the brutal power games and byzantine conspiracies of Syria's Assad dynasty. (Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: a Family History)
Con Coughlin's Assad curdles the blood from beginning to end and is always underpinned by superb foundations in analysis. A must-read for everyone who wants to understand the Middle East today. (Robert Service)

What listeners say about Assad

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb biography! Captivating from the start.

Have really enjoyed and learnt so much from listening to this audiobook. Was worried that I’d disengage, but have instead been ‘forced’ to binge listen, such was my level of interest.
Also, have nothing but praise for the narration. Clear, and concise. Thank you Charles Armstrong.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!