President Bashar Al-Assad

So this summer, I met someone who had lived in Syria up until three years ago when the war started to get pretty bad. When we sat down together to have lunch, I automatically thought to ask her about Assad and the allegations of war crimes. I came into the conversation thinking that Assad was this horrible person, especially since the U.S. backs the rebels, and that being the only thing I've ever heard from the media. However, when speaking to my friend, I was shocked to hear her say that she loved Assad and tell stories about how the Syrian people rallied behind him when he was elected. I actually had an uber driver a few weeks ago (also from Syria) who told me the exact same thing. I think it's very interesting how what we hear in the news is actually so different from what the reality might be. I'm still not sure what to believe, but I definitely don't absorb information on Assad and the war in Syria the same anymore.

It's interesting to see the difference in perspectives of a citizen of the country and outsiders attempting to interpret the country's leaders. Why do you think the gap is so large?