An Analysis Of Syrian Authoritarian Politics And Its Transformation

The authoritarian politics is a kind o f political system, which falls in between democracy and totalitarian regime; it exists in parts o f the developing countries, which are in the Middle East and other countries after the war. Authoritarian politics is a transitional political form that exists in independent country or region in the process o f modernization; it retains democratic factors, such as election, parliamentary and political party. But the citizens5 political freedom is constrained, the ruler’s power is highly centralized, the effect o f parliamentary and election are limited. In the progress of Syria’s political modernization, since the 1970 s, Hafez al-Assad-led pragmatists o f B ^ th took the advantages o f radicals, then established and consolidate Syria’s authoritarian system. The political system-building was one with deep historical roots and realistic basis, Islamic regime-based traditional religious authority and modem political system, which was brought by the ruler o f French colony, they all left great legacies to the establishment o f Syria’s authoritarian politics. The Ba’th socialist theory regulated that Syrian Ba^h was the leading party, which would reunify the Arab countries and make them free. In addition, the Ba5 th was the ruling party; it would unite other parties to achieve the modernization o f Syria’s political system. The Ba’th socialist theory laid a foundation for the building o f Syria’s authoritarian politics. Furthermore, after the national independent state was founded, the frequent military intervention disrupted the social order and political environment, in the bipolar structure o f the Cold War, the US and Soviet-Union competed for primacy, this situation pushed Syria closer to the Soviet-Union and mediated between the two countries to seek maximum benefits. Hafez al-Assad had the personality and charisma to stand out from political struggle and to mater the nation’s supreme power. All o f this was the reasons for the authoritarian politics to set up. The president has the sovereign authority in the system, Syrian forces and the Alawite minority formed the backbone o f authoritarian system, and they have been playing an important role in guaranteeing political stability. When Hafez al-Assad died, his son Bashar al-Assad carried out a series o f reforms in each field o f society, with the overall o f the nation^ political regime not being changed. However, longstanding problems, which included domestic social, religious, and ethnical contradictions together with outside forces that had hand in Syria’s domestic politics hold the authoritarian reformation back. Hafez al-Assad established authoritarian politics played double roles in driving the country’smodernization. On one hand, it stabled the former unrest parliamentary democracy politics; it played a positive role in promoting economic and social development, at the same time, it enhanced Syrian military power, turning Syria into a great power with a great deal o f influence in the region. On the other hand, authoritarian politics hindered the development o f market economy; it resulted in a lot o f social troubles, such as political corruption and the enlarged gap between the rich and the poor.This article introduces the conception o f authoritarian politics, following the course o f Syria’s political development, through investigation and evaluation o f the Hafez al-Assad established authoritarian politics; we arrived at conclusion that the path o f political transition o f developing countries can be diverse. At the same time, comparing two different modes o f authoritarian politics between Syria and Singapore, then, summarized similarities and differences, aiming at providing valuable experience for the developing countries. In short, the authoritarian politics is a kind o f mode for developing countries realizing their political modernization. Only when every single country chooses its own path o f development, which accord with both history and reality, to choose and select the development path, which in accordance with its national conditions and the Times, can they realize the transformation o f political system smoothly.