How The 'House Of Assad' Brought Syria To Civil War

Two men with notorious reputations have led Syria for the past 45 years — the late Hafez al-Assad and his son, Bashar.

Here & Now's Peter O’Dowd speaks with Trinity University historian David Lesch — who met with Bashar al-Assad regularly between 2004 and 2009 — about the Syrian president’s transformation from a "fairly normal, likable" person into one of the Middle East’s most notorious dictators. Lesch is also author of "Syria: The Fall of The House of Assad."