'Engrossing . . . has the vice-like grip of a thriller' - The Telegraph

'Fascinating, timely and sharp' - Simon Sebag Montefiore

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 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 held on to power to preside over one of the most brutal regimes of modern times.

Engrossing . . . Coughlin, as this fine book proves, is a careful judge of situations. . . [it is] meticulously researched and even-handed – as far as such an account can be – and has the vice-like grip of a thriller. -- Alexander Larman * The Daily Telegraph *
Useful, clear and interesting . . . a biography, but also an indictment -- Jason Burke * Literary Review *
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
Con Coughlin examines how a quiet eye surgeon could have turned into one of the world’s most vicious blood-stained dictators. No one could be better qualified than Coughlin to write this thought-provoking and penetrating book. -- Andrew Roberts * Aspects of History *

Con Coughlin is a distinguished journalist and the author of several critically acclaimed books. A specialist on the Middle East and international terrorism, he is Defence and Security Editor of the Daily Telegraph and also writes for the Spectator and other periodicals. In addition, he is a regular commentator on world affairs for BBC news programmes and Sky News. He lives in Sussex.