This February Hafez al-Assad was elected to a third seven-year term as president of Syria. In the country that popularized the Middle Eastern coup d'état, Assad's rule is remarkable if only for its longevity. Successful dictators must both lead and follow the countries they rule, and Assad's career embodies well the strengths and failures of his countrymen. Coming to power in the wake of debacle and despair, Assad has tenaciously defended Syrian national interests. At home, the “Butcher of Hama” has not created political community or viable institutions, but he has stayed in power. Relying on increasingly brutal and minoritarian methods, Assad has brought a tenuous stability to Syria, but nothing more.