As pro-democracy protesters took to the streets of Syria in March 2011, their gaze was firmly set on Egypt - where a popular uprising had toppled Hosni Mubarak's regime.
In the early days of the Syrian revolt, many protesters voiced confidence that President Bashar al-Assad would meet the same fate as his Egyptian counterpart. But by August 2012, as the conflict dragged on and no such outcome appeared likely, they had begun to turn their attention closer to home. The key question for many was: how had Assad managed to cling to power?
The answer lay in part with the government's image as defenders of a secular state against growing Islamist influence. It was also due in part to Assad's personal charisma which - combined with calculated use of force - helped him maintain control over large parts of Syria despite a brutal civil war.
Born on 11 September 1965, Assad took over from his father Hafez who ruled Syria for 30 years after taking power in a 1970 coup. His mother Anisa Makhluf is a Sunni Muslim from Homs. She married Hafez al-Assad in 1961 and they have three other children - Maher, Bushra and newsreader Bahia.
After graduating from Damascus University's medical school in 1988, he later went on to study ophthalmology at a military hospital in London, before joining Syria's special forces where he was deployed as an army doctor during the country's invasion of Lebanon in 1990. He then spent another two years studying surgery at Tishreen military hospital near Damascus before beginning work as an eye specialist for the military police until he became heir apparent following Hafez al-Assad's death on 10 June 2000 when Bashar succeeded him unopposed following recognition from Syria's National Assembly.
In 2003, he addressed the United Nations General Assembly and described George W Bush's administration as "dumb" and "inept". In 2008 he won 97 percent of votes cast to retain his presidency, running unopposed after other candidates were banned from standing against him under emergency powers granted by Parliament earlier that year.
His first marriage was to British-born Asma Akhras - whom he met during his time at university - although it was not made public until 2005 when she joined her husband on state visits to France and Egypt among others. They have three children together but separated shortly after anti-regime protests erupted across Syria in 2011. In February 2014 it emerged that Asma has fled Syria for Dubai after being placed under house arrest by her husband's government.
The Syrian leader married his third wife, Asma al-Assad, in 2000. Their union came after her father – a cardiologist who founded the private Al-Boushahri Hospital in Damascus – reportedly accepted a dowry of $500,000 (£400,000).
Born and raised in London to Syrian parents, Asma was educated at Queen's College before studying computer science at King's College London. She worked as an investment banker before moving into luxury retail, joining French cosmetics firm L'Oreal as manager for corporate strategy in 2000.
In 2005, Bashar and Asma were pictured at the opening of a new L'Oreal centre in Damascus. In 2010 she was made a Unesco goodwill ambassador for education. The role gave her a high profile on the international stage and allowed her to meet world leaders including Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel.
As Syria descended into civil war following anti-regime demonstrations across the country in 2011, Asma became increasingly prominent as first lady. She set up an NGO known as the "Association for Development" with a mission to "provide relief to those affected by conflict" and said she had visited refugee camps around the country during which time she had seen "first hand how dire their situation is".
As Syria descended into civil war following anti-regime demonstrations across the country in 2011, Asma became increasingly prominent as first lady. She set up an NGO known as the "Association for Development" with a mission to "provide relief to those affected by conflict" and said she had visited refugee camps around the country during which time she had seen "first hand how dire their situation is".
However, she and her father have been accused of helping to suppress the 2011 demonstrations that were a prelude to the civil war. Her "modern and elegant appearance" was widely noted by the Western media at the time as she stood by his side during speeches.
She has been criticised for failing to speak out in support of democracy or human rights in Syria. In 2012, she gave an interview in which she said that it was not easy for her two young children to live far away from their grandparents and cousins in London and revealed that they had not been able to go on holiday together because of security concerns.
The couple's relationship has not been without its difficulties. In 2005, Joulani allegedly beat her so severely that she ended up in hospital with severe facial injuries. He was arrested but released after Asma refused to press charges against him. A statement from the first lady's office at the time said: "The official spokesman for the first lady confirms this report is true… On behalf of the family we would like to express our gratitude for all the prayers of well-wishers."