Most of his countrymen prefer him now to the headchoppers, which is the choice everyone needs to make at this point. The armed opposition are not the pro-democracy campaigners of the old days (in fact democratic reforms have since been implemented). They are Islamists. Assad is both clinging on to power and maintaining a secular state against an Islamist, terrorist state. Pick a side.
Always a bit of both, innit. For decades, we've tolerated, even propped up, his sort so long as they've been able to keep a lid on things.
Tempora mutantur though and a' that.
"Plenty of strikers can score goals," he said, gesturing to the famous old stands casting shadows around us.
"But a lot have found it difficult wearing the number 9 shirt for The Arsenal."