Bashar al-Assad, the dictator currently orchestrating the murderous crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Syria, has not let his concerted campaign of torture and assassinations against his own people stop him from indulging in some iTunes retail therapy. Last week, a cache of approximately 3000 leaked emails have shown that when Assad isn’t planning the deadly crackdown on his own people, he is purchasing songs like LMFAO’s “I’m Sexy and I Know It,” then attaching them to flirtatious love emails to his wife.
Indeed, while some of the email cache’s content is a little ridiculous, the continued atrocities occurring in Syria are no laughing matter. In fact, the year-long crackdown, which has turned this once beautiful country into a socially fragmented quagmire, has reportedly killed upwards of 8,000 people. As if to add insult to injury, the emails themselves have been a slap in the face for many Syrians. While forced to hide in their homes fearing death or abduction by the dreaded Mukhabarat (Syrian secret police), they now realize just how comfortable Bashar al-Assad and his family have been.
Emails involving Bashar’s wife, Asma, have garnered significant attention. Within the troves of emails, we have detailed accounts of Asma purchasing tens of thousands of dollars worth of luxury items, jewelry, and designer clothing over the Internet — surely to guarantee she has all the latest spring fashions for the many photo ops that come along with being the wife of a murderous dictator.
Despite the anger focused towards the Assad family’s frivolous use of the Syrian people’s money, the truly damning aspect of this email leak has been the realization that international attempts to isolate Bashar al-Assad have comprehensively failed. His ability to bypass these restrictive measures range from receiving military supplies from Russia and tactical advice on crushing the rebellion from Iranian intelligence heads to registering his iTunes account under a fake identity based in New York City. In fact, following the leak, The Guardian newspaper described the Assad family as so protected and disconnected from the revolt that they exist within a “gilded cocoon.”
What’s most damning is the information being found in these emails that unequivocally links Bashar al-Assad to the daily human rights abuses occurring in Syria. Despite his claims that he has never ordered any form of brutality during the past year’s uprising, countless security briefings and requests by top military brass to use brutal and indiscriminate force against protesters are surfacing that are in many cases personally signed by Assad himself.
Bashar hasn’t been working too hard, though. He has managed to balance his time carefully between authorizing the death of his own people with writing his jewel encrusted wife Asma self-pitying love emails — one which read “If we are strong together we will overcome this together… I love you.” The next day, likely on Bashar’s command, the Syrian military unleashed a bombardment on the city of Homs, which left hundreds dead including countless women and children. Assuredly, his LMFAO soundtrack was enough to quiet their screams.
