Syria’s ‘rose in the desert’ is still a thorn

Joan Juliet Buck, former editor of the French edition of Vogue, expressed in a recent interview with The Guardian her strong regrets over her infamous interview with Asma Assad, wife of the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

Her 2011 Vogue story titled “A Rose in the Desert” is one of the most memorable items in the history of the Western press. Despite Vogue’s removal of the article from its website, copies still circulate online.

Vogue retracted its eight-page piece praising Asma Assad following a campaign waged against it, which was boosted by the discovery that the interview was facilitated by a public relations company paid by the Syrian regime solely to enhance its image globally.

But the delayed apology for such an interview is not convincing. Asma Assad is linked to a regime known historically for its violence and bloodshed, even pre-revolution. The regime has committed visible atrocities and it remains difficult to claim ignorance regarding such facts.

Evidently, fashion expert Buck was fooled by Asma Assad’s elegant image, having described her as the most attractive of the first ladies. Her recent apology cannot disguise the fact that this interview was based on ignorance.

Buck is not alone, however: The Western media’s fascination with Bashar Assad’s British-educated and raised wife dates to before the revolution. French publication Paris-Match even once described Asma Assad as “the element of light in a country full of shadow zones.”

This Western attitude continued even after the evolution, with many describing the popular resistance as a “sectarian war,” an Assad himself as a “secular” in the face of extremist opposition.

Today, some are still attempting to restore momentum to that approach. There are also attempts by the Syrian regime to restore and revive what Vogue presented five years ago, with Asma Assad playing a new propaganda role for the regime. 

In recent months, the regime has been advancing propaganda aimed at restoring her image as a modern first lady. A propaganda film released by the “Presidency of the Syrian Republic” on Mother’s Day two weeks ago was evidence of this. In the film, titled “Mother of the Nation,” Asma Assad appears in luxury clothing and shimmery shoes from the world’s most prestigious brands, her face highlighted with make-up and her hair styled elegantly.

Such presentation is a cloak of elegance aimed at a simple audience. It is not just an attempt to glorify and feed the image and vanity of Bashar Assad, but is also intended to present the regime in a positive light, and cover up for the bloodshed and death.

Both Western decision-makers and media professionals have fallen into a trap when it comes to Asma Assad’s image. Some have tried to re-broadcast the spirit of the “rose in the desert” myth. But they overlook videos showing the bloodshed and massacres at the hands of the regime. The “rose,” despite its image, is still more of a thorn.