The Last Days of Hafez Assad

â??You know I have my ups and downs, but I have a pact with God. The pact is that no matter what problems I have, wherever there is a challenge, I will have all my strength,â? asserted a sickly Hafez al-Assad to George Shultz, who grimaced at the firmness of Assadâ??s grip. Despite Hafez al-Assadâ??s constant ailing health, the Syrian leaderâ??s tenure in office spanned some 30 years. Political Officer Edward G. Abington, Ambassador David Ransom and wife, Deputy Chief of Mission, Marjorie Ransom, highlight Assadâ??s most criticized political power plays, Syriaâ??s problems with Iraq and its reluctant reliance on the USSR, as well as provide insights about the man who reluctantly readied his son, Bashar al-Assad, to later assume power. Charles Stuart Kennedy them in 1999 and 2000 respectively, during Assadâ??s final days as president of Syria.