How Syria's former first lady aided the bloody regime The Assad dynasty may be crumbling, but its legacy continues to shape the Syrian narrative.
The recent spotlight on Asma al Assad, former first lady and wife of Bashar al Assad, raises questions about the role of femininity in the regime's brutal suppression of dissent.
Asma's transformation from Emma Akhras, a British born investment banker, to a symbol of modernity and "a rose in the desert" was orchestrated by her husband's propaganda machine.