such uprisings . Occasionally , the government responded with equal or more extreme violence ( e . g . Massacres of Hama , discussed later in this section ).
As far as foreign policies implemented by the Assad regime are concerned , it should be noted that the top three priorities for Assad constituted avoiding possible escalations and tensions with Israel , major disagreements with conservative regimes of states within the Arabian Peninsula and moving towards greater socialization of society . In general , Hafez al-Assad did not spare his opponents . His opponents received house or in prison arrests until the end of their lives , depriving them of the opportunity to leave the country . It can be said that the military coup of November 1970 established the beginning of Assad ’ s authoritarianism in Syria .
Minority Rule : Privileges to Alawites
Starting from the early 1970s , Alawites were granted numerous privileges . Particularly , in contrast to other groups , Alawites had opportunities to advance in academia and hence get promoted to higher positions within the Syrian government . After the military coup , the Baath Party had established a single-party rule over the Syrian state . Therefore , it is justified to believe that with single-party rule of the minority over the majority , the Alawi population would benefit significantly . The Alawites ’ migration to urban areas and improvement of their economic conditions could easily be anticipated , which supported Hafez al-Assad in strengthening and developing public institutions and centralizing power in his hands .
The problem of the Alawite character of the Syrian government is unique . First , examining the separate components of the Alawite religious system , it should be noted that “ it contains Christian , Islamic and Pagan elements . Although the Alawites consider themselves Shiites , they often violate Islamic law [] and sometimes deviate from it ” 21 . The primary reason for its outstanding uniqueness also comes from the fact that a minority has managed to establish and maintain a dictatorship over a majority . There is no arguing that the Alawite leaders of Syria , the Syrian army and special services also dominate the economy of the country . In Syria , the Alawites were this minority , who , according to various estimates , accounted for 10 to 20 % of the population , but in reality , most likely , one still needs to lean toward more conservative estimates , at 11-12 %. And yet it was this group that began to dominate Syrian political life . Nevertheless , it is interesting
21
Vardanyan Grigor , Alawineri kronakan hamakargi arandznahatkutyunnere . [ The Features of Alawite Religious System ]. Merdzavor Arevelk [ Middle East ]. RA National Academy of Sciences .
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