Pleas to Syrian Dictator's wife fall on deaf ears

Syria has been engulfed in violence for over 13 months as a national uprising spread after the government began cracking down on peaceful protests. The United Nations estimates at least 9,000 people have died since the demonstrations began, while others put the death toll at more than 11,000. 

Syria has been a one-family dictatorship for over 40 years. 

Bashar Hafez Al-Assad, the current dictator is 46 years old and highly educated. He is a doctor of 

Bashar and Asma Al-Assad

ophthalmology and received some of his advanced training in England.  

In December of 2000, Bashar Al-Assad married Asma Akhras, a British citizen of Syrian ethnic origin.  Asma was described as a "beauty" by the fashion media.  She graduated from King's College with a degree in computer science. She worked for JP Morgan as an investment banker before marrying.  They have 3 children. 

Recently, the wives of a number of U.N. ambassadors posted a video to the Internet, pleading with Asma Al-Assad, the First Lady of Syria, asking her to "stop your husband", "stop being a bystander", and "not worry so much about your husband but worry a little bit more about women in your country."

Guess what?  No response from Asma Al-Assad. 

Women who are married to dictators and billionaires seldom rock the boat.  They want to maintain the status quo.  It's a good life being a "first lady" and a good life being a multi-millionairess.

Honey, I'm sick of this war.
Let's go shopping.

No doubt the Al-Assad family (and all of their relatives who also have positions of power in Syria) have stashed away hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign banks from Switzerland to the Cayman Islands, have bought multi-national stocks and multi-million dollar condos in New York and Paris, and everything else they can lay their hands on. All dictators do. They hang on to power in a death grip but somehow they think "We better put something away for a rainy day or a revolution."  

If these Al-Assads were ousted from Syria, they and 10 generations after them would live very well from the money they've stolen.  A similar example is the Shah of Iran's family who are living very well, thank you, on the proceeds of the money the Shah stole and then socked away in foreign countries before the Iranian Revolution took place. 

Deaths of Syrian children in the
shelling of Homs, Syria 

According to leaks to the media, Asma Al-Assad appears to have spent much of the past year shopping online for expensive jewelry, art and furniture, and e-mailing boutiques in London and Paris inquiring about the purchases of pictures for her home that cost $16,000. each. 

This woman shops in the dying time of others. 

God help us all.  God save us from the dictators.  God save Syria. Amen