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Bashar Al Assad

Bashar al Assad

Bashar al-Assad (بشار الاسد) (born September 11, 1965) is the current President of Syria (The Syrian Arab Republic) and the son of former President Hafez al-Assad.

Personal

Assad speaks fluent English and French, having studied at the Franco-Arab al-Hurriyet elite school in Damascus (the Syrian capital), before going on to medical school there at the Damascus University Faculty of Medicine. He then went on to get a subspeciality training in the field of ophthalmology in London's academic hospitals. He is married to Asma' al-Akhras, a Syrian Sunni muslim whom he met in Great Britain. The al-Assad family are members of the minority muslim Alawite group, and members of that group have been prominent in the governmental hierarchy and army since 1963 when Baath first seized power. Their origins are to be found in the Latakia region of north-west Syria. Bashar's family is originally from Qardaha, just east of Latakia.

Government

Initially Bashar had few political aspirations. Hafez al-Assad had been grooming Bashar's older brother, Basil al-Assad to be the future president. However, Basil's premature death in an automobile accident in 1994 suddenly made Bashar his father's new heir apparent. When the elder Assad died in 2000, Bashar was duly elected President unopposed with apparent massive popular support, after Syria's Majlis Al Shaa'b (Parliament) swiftly voted to lower the minimum age for candidates from 40 to 34. Upon claiming the presidency, Bashar al-Assad promised economic and political reforms to Syria, but he has so far delivered little change in the status quo. The Baath Party remains in control of the parliament and is constitutionally the "leading party" of the state. Bashar al-Assad, however, was not strongly involved previously in the running of the party. Until he became President, Bashar's only formal political role was as the head of the Syrian Computer Society, which was mainly in charge of introducing the Internet to Syria. Immediately after he took power, a reform movement made cautious advances during the so-called Damascus Spring, and Assad seemed to accept this, as he shut down the notorious Mezze prison and released hundreds of political prisoners. The Damascus Spring however ground to an abrupt halt as security crackdowns commenced again within a year, and although Bashar rules with a softer touch than the all-out totalitarianism of his father, political freedoms are still extremely curtailed. The security apparatus has eased its grip on society, but remains solidly in control, and while a small dissident movement has by now firmly established itself, it is still both powerless and pressured by the regime. Sporadic protests are occurring among the Kurds in north-eastern Syria, long discriminated against by the Arab nationalist Baathist government. Economic liberalization has also been very limited, with industry still heavily state-controlled and corruption rife throughout the state apparatus. Mild economic sanctions (the Syria Accountability Act) applied by the USA further complicate the situation. Of major importance are the negotiations for a free trade Association Agreement with the European Union, but progress is slow. The military plays an omnipresent role in Syrian politics - Hafez al-Assad headed both the military and the air forces, and it was a military coup which brought him to power in 1970. Bashar entered the military academy at Homs, north of Damascus, following the death of Basil, and was propelled through the ranks to become a colonel in January 1999.

Foreign relations

Despite tense relations with Israel, Assad has repeatedly called for a resumption of peace talks on the issue of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967. However, the United States and Israel continue to accuse Assad of supporting militant anti-Israeli groups like Hizbullah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Assad opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, despite a long standing animosity between the Syrian and Iraqi regimes, using Syria's position holding one of the rotating seats on the United Nations Security Council. This precipitated, alongside the assasination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri, and the supposed harbouring of anti-Israeli terrorists, a crisis in relations with the United States. Assad has been criticised for Syria's occupation of Lebanon (which ended in 2005) and the USA put Syria under sanctions partly because of this. He is reported to have played a key role in the accession of the pro-Syrian General Emile Lahoud to the Lebanese presidency in 1998. In the Arab world, Bashar has mended relations with the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and attempted to build good relations with more conservative Arab states, while generally standing by Syria's Arab nationalist agenda.

Internal power struggle

According to some sources, at least part of the slow progress on reform stems from the opposition of an "old guard" within the Syrian regime, which drags its feet in protest of liberalization and in order to maintain its privileged position within the government. There has even been speculation on whether Bashar al-Assad was in real control of Syria, with some commentators suggesting the country was run by a coterie of old Hafez loyalists, with Bashar acting mainly as a figurehead. Others have claimed that he has indeed always been in power, but that he has acted cautiously so as not to provoke powerful elements within the old elite, as was initially lacking a support base within the government. This seems to be a widely held opinion among Syrians, some of whom credit the president with good intentions but little effective power to carry out his reform program. While Bashar certainly seems to have been careful in pushing for reforms of the government, he has systematically expanded his influence within the Syrian ruling apparatus. The retirement of the powerful defence minister Mustafa Tlass in 2004 and vice president Abd al-Halim Khaddam in 2005, both long-standing Hafez loyalists, is considered a sign that Bashars "soft purge" of the party is now more or less over. This, however, also means Assad can to a greater extent be held personally responsible for the slow pace of reform.

2005 Lebanon crisis

A major crisis began recently, with the murder of Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri in February 2005, which was widely blamed on Syria. As a result of the ensuing protests, Assad was forced to pull out all Syrian forces and security services from Lebanon. Syria remains influential in Lebanon, however, and economic activity is strongly interdependent. The pull-out from Lebanon was a serious blow to the prestige of Assad. Further embarrassing the regime was the implication of senior Syrian officials in the the United Nations Mehlis report, released in October 2005, which entered the headlines after interior minister Ghazi Kanaan allegedly committed suicide while being investigated by the UN mission. There are also indications that the Mehlis investigation is specifically interested in relatives of Bashar al-Assad himself. It is unknown if Assad knew of the operation, which he has repeatedly condemned. He strongly denies any Syrian involvement, but has promised to extradite or punish anyone found guilty of participating in the conspiracy to kill Hariri. Renewed international pressure on the Assad government's involvement in Lebanese politics and aid to anti-Israel groups, such as Hizbollah is expected. All put together, the Hariri affair has proved the most pressing crisis for the Syrian government in decades, possibly since Hafez al-Assad seized power, with some commentators suggesting that it could forespell the downfall of Bashar himself.

Family

Family connections is presently an important part of Syrian politics. Several members of Hafez al-Assad's closest family has held positions within the government since his ascent to power, most notably of course Bashar himself. Most of the al-Assad and Makhlouf families have also grown tremendously wealthy, and parts of that fortune has reached their Alawite tribe in Qardaha and its surroundings. The following is a list of some of Bashar's most prominent relatives:
- Hafez al-Assad, father. Former president. Died in 2000.
- Rifaat al-Assad, uncle. Formerly a powerful security chief; now in exile in France after attempting a coup d'êtat in 1984
- Jamil al-Assad, uncle. Parliamentarian, commander of a minor militia.
- Anisah Makhlouf, mother.
- Basil al-Assad, brother. Original candidate for succession. Died in 1994.
- Majd al-Assad, brother. Electrical engineer; widely reported to have mental problems.
- Lt. Col. Maher al-Assad, brother. Head of Presidential Guard.
- Dr. Bushra al-Assad, sister. Pharmacist. Said to be a strong influence on both Hafez and Bashar, sometimes called the "brain" of Syrian politics. Married to Gen. Assef Shawqat.
- Gen. Adnan Makhlouf, cousin of Anisah. Commands the Republican Guard.
- Adnan al-Assad, cousin of Hafez. Leader of "Struggle companies" militia in Damascus.
- Muhammad al-Assad, cousin of Hafez. Another leader of the "Struggle companies".
- Gen. Assef Shawqat, brother-in-law. Husband of Bushra. Present head of military intelligence, close associate of Bashar.

See also


- List of state leaders

Further reading


- Bashar Al-Assad (Major World Leaders) by Susan Muaddi Darraj, (June 2005, Chelsea House Publications) ISBN 0791082628 for young adults
- Syria Under Bashar Al-Asad: Modernisation and the Limits of Change (Adelphi Papers) by Volker Perthes, (2004, Oxford University Press) ISBN 0198567502
- Bashar's First Year: From Ophthalmology to a National Vision (Research Memorandum) by Yossi Baidatz, (2001, Washington Institute for Near East Policy) ISBN B0006RVLNM
- Syria: Revolution From Above by Raymond Hinnebusch (Routledge; 1st edition, August 2002) ISBN 0415285682

External links


- [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CFBB0AFA-B1D6-457B-B611-E56C3B88585C.htm Aljazeera.net - President Bashar al-Asad: Profile]
- [http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317836/us317916/us559898/us560105/us560121/us10204508/us10238316/ LookSmart - Bashar al-Assad] directory category Assad, Bashar al- Assad, Bashar al- Assad, Bashar al- ja:バッシャール・アル＝アサド

September 11

September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). There are 111 days remaining. It is usually the first day of the Coptic calendar and Ethiopian calendar (in the period AD 1900 to AD 2099). The terms "September 11", "11th September", and "9/11" have been widely used in the Western media as a shorthand for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon in the United States of America.

Events


- 1226 - The Catholic practice of Perpetual adoration begins.
- 1297 - Battle of Stirling Bridge: Scots led by William Wallace defeat the English.
- 1541 - Santiago, Chile, is destroyed by indigenous warriors.
- 1609 - Henry Hudson lands on Manhattan island.
- 1690 - Expulsion order announced against the Moriscos of Valencia; beginning of the expulsion of all Spain's Moriscos.
- 1649 - Siege of Drogheda ends: Oliver Cromwell's English Parliamentarian troops take the town and massacre its garrison.
- 1709 - Battle of Malplaquet: Great Britain, Netherlands and Austria fight against France.
- 1714 - Barcelona surrenders to Spanish and French Bourbonic armies in the War of the Spanish Succession.
- 1776 - British-American peace conference on Staten Island fails to stop nascent American Revolution.
- 1777 - Battle of Brandywine - Major American Revolutionary war victory for British in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
- 1786 - The Beginning of the Annapolis Convention.
- 1789 - Alexander Hamilton is appointed as first Secretary of the Treasury.
- 1814 - The Battle of Plattsburgh.
- 1847 - Stephen Foster's most memorable song, Oh! Susanna, is first performed at a saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- 1857 - The Mountain Meadows Massacre: Mormon settlers and Paiutes massacre 120 pioneers at Mountain Meadows, Utah.
- 1869 - Work completed on the Wallace Monument.
- 1888 - Death of the Argentine politician Domingo Sarmiento, after whom the Latin American Teacher's Day was chosen.
- 1893 - First World Parliament of Religions conference held.
- 1897 - After months of pursuit, generals of Menelik II of Ethiopia capture Gaki Sherocho, the last king of Kaffa, bringing an end to that ancient kingdom.
- 1911 - Middle Tennessee State University is founded in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, as Middle Tennessee Normal School.
- 1914 - Australia invades New Britain, defeating a German contingent there.
- 1916 - The Quebec Bridge collapses for a second time, killing 11 men. The bridge initially collapsed on August 29, 1907.
- 1918 - Baseball: The Boston Red Sox won the World Series; they would do so again on October 27, 2004 after 86 years.
- 1919 - US Marines invade Honduras.
- 1921 - Motion picture star Fatty Arbuckle is arrested for rape.
- 1922 - The British Mandate of Palestine begins.
- 1922 - One of the Herald Sun of Melbourne, Australia's predecessor papers The Sun News-Pictorial is founded.
- 1926 - An assassination attempt on Benito Mussolini fails.
- 1931 - Salvatore Maranzano is murdered by Charles Luciano's hitmen.
- 1932 - Franciszek Żwirko and Stanisław Wigura, Polish Challenge 1932 winners, killed in a plane crash as their RWD 6 crashed into the ground during a storm.
- 1940 - George Stibitz pioneers the first remote operation of a computer.
- 1941 - Ground broken for the construction of The Pentagon.
- 1941 - World War II: US Navy ordered to attack German U-boats.
- 1943 - World War II: German troops occupy Corsica and Kosovo-Metohien
- 1943 - World War II: start of the liquidation of the Ghettos in Minsk and Lida by the Nazis
- 1944 - World War II: the first allied troops of the US Army cross the western border of Nazi Germany
- 1948 - Henri Queuille becomes Prime Minister of France.
- 1955 - Dedication of the first Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Europe, the Bern Switzerland Temple.
- 1960 - Young Americans for Freedom meeting at home of William F. Buckley, Jr. promulgates the Sharon Statement.
- 1961 - Formation of the World Wildlife Fund.
- 1962 - The Beatles record their debut single, Love Me Do.
- 1965 - The 1st Cavalry Division of the United States Army arrives in Vietnam.
- 1970 - The Ford Pinto is introduced.
- 1971 - The Egyptian Constitution becomes official.
- 1972 - Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in America begins regular service.
- 1973 - A military coup in Chile headed by General Augusto Pinochet topples the democratically elected President Salvador Allende.
- 1974 - The Stranglers are a British rock music group, was formed in Guildford.
- 1981 - The Pee-wee Herman Show airs as a special on HBO.
- 1985 - Baseball: Pete Rose gets his 4,192nd career base hit, breaking Ty Cobb's record which stood for over 60 years.
- 1987 - 9-1-1 Emergency Number Day.
- 1987 - CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather, angry over being preempted for a tennis match, marches off the set, leaving affiliates with six minutes of an empty news desk.
- 1987 - Reggae musician Peter Tosh is murdered in his own home in Kingston.
- 1989 - The iron curtain opens between the communist Hungary and Austria. From Hungary thousands of East Germans throng to Austria and West Germany.
- 1990 - President George H. W. Bush delivers a nationally televised speech in which he threatens the use of force to remove Iraqi soldiers from Kuwait, which Iraq had recently invaded.
- 1992 - Hurricane Iniki, one of the most damaging hurricane in United States history during its time, devastates the State of Hawai'i, especially the islands of Kaua'i and Oahu.
- 1996 - Union Pacific Railroad purchases Southern Pacific Railroad
- 1997 - Scotland votes to re-establish its own Parliament on the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Stirling Bridge, after 290 years of union with England.
- 1998 - Independent counsel Kenneth Starr sends a report to the U.S. Congress accusing President Bill Clinton of 11 possible impeachable offenses.
- 1999 - Tennis: Serena Williams, 2 weeks short of her 18th birthday, wins her first Grand Slam tournament when she became US Open champion, becoming the first African American woman to win a Grand Slam tournament since Althea Gibson in 1958.
- 2000 - Activists protest against the World Economic Forum meeting in Melbourne, Australia.
- 2001 - The September 11 attacks destroy the World Trade Center in New York City, part of The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and down a passenger airliner in Pennsylvania. In total, almost 3,000 are killed.
- 2003 - Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh dies after being assaulted and fatally wounded on September 10.
- 2004 - Petros VII, the (Greek Orthodox) Patriarch of Alexandria and his company are killed in an unexplained helicopter crash outside Mount Athos, Greece.
- 2005 - The State of Israel officially declares an end to military rule in the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation.
- 2005 - Monsters of Rock held up in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the F. C. O. Stadium. Headlined by Judas Priest, Whitesnake and Rata Blanca were also in the show.

Births


- 1182 - Minamoto no Yoriie, Japanese shogun (d. 1204)
- 1522 - Ulisse Aldrovandi, Italian naturalist (d. 1605)
- 1524 - Pierre de Ronsard, French poet (d. 1585)
- 1611 - Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, Marshal of France (d. 1675)
- 1681 - Johann Gottlieb Heineccius, German jurist (d. 1741)
- 1700 - James Thomson, Scottish poet (d. 1748)
- 1711 - William Boyce, English composer (d. 1779)
- 1723 - Johann Bernhard Basedow, German educational reformer (d. 1790)
- 1798 - Franz Ernst Neumann, German mineralogist and physicist (d. 1895)
- 1816 - Carl Zeiss, German lens maker (d. 1888)
- 1825 - Eduard Hanslick, German music critic (d. 1904)
- 1836 - Fitz Hugh Ludlow, American author (d. 1870)
- 1838 - John Ireland, American Catholic archbishop (d. 1918)
- 1862 - O. Henry, American writer (d. 1910)
- 1865 - Rainis, Latvian poet and playwright (d. 1929)
- 1885 - D.H. Lawrence, English novelist (d. 1930)
- 1899 - Jimmie Davis, composer (d. 2000)
- 1903 - Theodor Adorno, German sociologist (d. 1969)
- 1913 - Paul "Bear" Bryant, American football coach (d. 1983)
- 1917 - Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines (d. 1989)
- 1917 - Jessica Mitford, British writer (d. 1996)
- 1923 - Dharmsamrat Paramhans Swami Madhavananda, Hindu guru
- 1924 - Tom Landry, American football coach (d. 2000)
- 1927 - G. David Schine, American businessman (d. 1996)
- 1933 - Dr. William L. Pierce, American author and activist (d. 2002)
- 1935 - Arvo Pärt, Estonian composer
- 1935 - Gherman Titov, cosmonaut (d. 2000)
- 1939 - Charles Geschke, American inventor and businessman
- 1940 - Brian de Palma, American film director
- 1940 - Theodore Olson, U.S. Solicitor General
- 1942 - Lola Falana, American singer
- 1943 - Mickey Hart, American drummer (Grateful Dead)
- 1943 - Raymond Villeneuve, Canadian terrorist
- 1944 - Everaldo, Brazilian football player
- 1945 - Franz Beckenbauer, German footballer
- 1945 - Felton Perry, American actor
- 1948 - John Martyn, English musician
- 1950 - Barry Sheene, British motorcyclist
- 1957 - Brad Bird, American animator
- 1961 - Virginia Madsen, American actress
- 1962 - Elizabeth Daily, American actress
- 1962 - Filip Dewinter Belgian politician
- 1962 - Kristy McNichol, American actress
- 1964 - Ellis Burks, baseball player
- 1964 - Roxann Dawson, American actress
- 1964 - Victor Wooten, American musician
- 1965 - Bashar al-Assad, Syrian dictator
- 1965 - Paul Heyman, American professional wrestling promoter, manager, and writer
- 1965 - Moby, American musician
- 1965 - David Roe, English snooker player
- 1967 - Maria Bartiromo, Canadian broadcast journalist
- 1967 - Harry Connick, Jr., American singer
- 1968 - Kay Hanley, American musician
- 1971 - Richard Ashcroft, British singer
- 1976 - Elephant Man, Jamaican musician
- 1977 - Ludacris, American rapper
- 1977 - Matthew Stevens, Welsh snooker player
- 1978 - Ed Reed, American football player
- 1981 - Dylan Klebold, American mass murderer (d. 1999)

Deaths


- 1161 - Queen Melisende of Jerusalem (b. 1105)
- 1279 - Robert Kilwardby, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1298 - Philip of Artois, French soldier (b. 1269)
- 1349 - Bonne of Luxembourg, queen of John II of France (b. 1315)
- 1599 - Beatrice Cenci, Italian noblewoman executed for conspiring to kill her father (b. 1577)
- 1677 - James Harrington, English politicial philosopher (b. 1611)
- 1680 - Roger Crab, English Puritan political writer (b. 1621)
- 1680 - Emperor Go-Mizunoo of Japan (b. 1596)
- 1721 - Rudolf Jakob Camerarius, German botanist and physician (b. 1665)
- 1760 - Louis Godin, French astronomer (b. 1704)
- 1823 - David Ricardo, economist
- 1843 - Joseph Nicollet, mathematician and explorer
- 1851 - Sylvester Graham, American nutritionist
- 1888 - Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, President of Argentina
- 1921 - Subramanya Bharathy, Tamil poet (b. 1882)
- 1931 - Salvatore Maranzano, crime boss
- 1932 - Franciszek Żwirko and Stanisław Wigura, Polish pilots (plane crash)
- 1948 - Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan
- 1950 - Jan Smuts, South African soldier and statesman
- 1956 - Billy Bishop, Canadian pilot in World War I
- 1958 - Robert W. Service, Scottish-born Canadian poet
- 1966 - C. E. Woolman, American airline magnate
- 1971 - Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, Soviet politician and leader (b. 1894)
- 1972 - Max Fleischer, American animator (b. 1883)
- 1973 - Salvador Allende, President of Chile (presumed suicide) (b. 1908)
- 1978 - Georgi Markov, Bulgarian dissident (assassinated) (b. 1929)
- 1978 - Janet Parker, medical photographer, the final victim of smallpox
- 1985 - William Alwyn, English composer (b. 1905)
- 1987 - Lorne Greene, Canadian actor (b. 1915)
- 1987 - Peter Tosh, Jamaican musician and singer (b. 1944)
- 1988 - John Sylvester White, American actor (b. 1919)
- 1990 - Myrna Mack, Guatemalan anthropologist (assassinated) (b. 1949)
- 1993 - Erich Leinsdorf, Austrian conductor (b. 1912)
- 1994 - Jessica Tandy, American actress (b. 1909)
- 1995 - Anita Harding, neurologist
- 1998 - Dane Clark, American actor (b. 1913)
- 2001 - David Angell, American sitcom creator (9/11 attacks) (b. 1946)
- 2001 - Muhammad Atta, Egyptian terrorist (9/11 attacks) (b. 1968)
- 2001 - Todd Beamer, passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 (9/11 attacks) (b. 1968)
- 2001 - Angel Juarbe, Jr., American firefighter, winner of Murder in Small Town X (9/11 attacks) (b. 1966)
- 2001 - Barbara Olson, American political commentator (9/11 attacks) (b. 1955)
- 2002 - Kim Hunter, American actress (b. 1922)
- 2002 - Johnny Unitas, American football player (b. 1933)
- 2003 - Anna Lindh, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (assassinated) (b. 1957)
- 2003 - John Ritter, American actor (b. 1948)
- 2004 - Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria (helicopter crash) (b. 1949)
- 2004 - Fred Ebb, American lyricist (b. 1933)
- 2004 - David Mann, U.S. artist (emphysema) (b. 1939)
- 2005 - Chris Schenkel, American sportscaster (b. 1923)

Holidays


- RC Saints - Virgin of the Holy cave; Saint Deiniol, Our Lady of Coromoto, Protus & Hyacynthus Also see September 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Coptic Orthodox Church - Feast of Neyrouz, the New Year's Day in the Coptic calendar
- New Year's Day in the Ethiopian calendar (Enkutatash)
- Catalonia (Spain) - National Day
- Patriot Day (USA) - Anniversary of the September 11 attacks
- Latin America Teacher's Day, after the death of Argentine Domingo F. Sarmiento
- Death anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan

Other observances


- Proclaimed 9-1-1 Emergency Number Day by President Reagan on August 26 in 1987 and celebrated since then by some United States communities, particularly the local emergency services.
- Feast day of Saint Deiniol

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/11 BBC: On This Day]
- [http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20050911.html The New York Times: On This Day] ---- September 10 · September 12 · August 11 · October 11 · more historical anniversaries ko:9월 11일 ms:11 September ja:9月11日 simple:September 11 th:11 กันยายน

1965

1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar).

Events

January-February

common year starting on Friday
- January 4 - United States President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his "Great Society" during his State of the Union address.
- January 12 - Bodies of two 15 year olds - Christine Sharrock and Marrine Schmidt - found at Wanda Beach, Sydney (Wanda Beach Murders)
- January 14 - Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years
- January 24 - Winston Churchill dies at the age of 90.
- January 26 - Hindi becomes the official language of India.
- January 30 - Winston Churchill's funeral is held in London.
- February 6 - Sir Stanley Matthews plays his final First Division game, at the record age of 50 years and 5 days
- February 7 - US begins regular bombing of North Vietnamese towns and villages
- February 9 - Vietnam War: The first United States combat troops are sent to South Vietnam
- February 15 - A new red and white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada replacing the Union Flag and the Canadian Red Ensign.
- February 18 - The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom
- February 20 - Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts.
- February 21 - Malcolm X is assassinated on the first day of National Brotherhood Week at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City by Black Muslims

March


- March 7 - Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama
- March 8 - Vietnam War: 3,500 United States Marines arrive in South Vietnam becoming the first American combat troops in Vietnam
- March 8 - First US combat forces arrive in Vietnam
- March 9 - Second march from Selma to Montgomery under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. stops at the bridge that was the site of Bloody Sunday to hold a prayer service and return to Selma in obedience to a court restraining order. White supremacists beat up white Unitarian Universalist minister James J. Reeb later that day in Selma, Alabama.
- March 10 - Goldie, a London Zoo golden eagle is recaptured after 13 days of freedom
- March 11 - White Unitarian Universalist minister James J. Reeb, beaten by White Supremacists in Selma, Alabama on March 9 following the second march from Selma, dies in a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.
- March 18 - Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov, leaving his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes, becomes the first person to walk in space
- March 21 - Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9 which is the last in a series of unmanned lunar space probes
- March 21 - Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King, Jr. begin march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery
- March 23 - NASA launches Gemini III with the United States' first two-person crew into earth orbit (Gus Grissom and John Young).
- March 24- Mark "The Undertaker" Callaway, Professional Wrestler March 25 - Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King, Jr. successfully end march from Selma, arriving at the capitol in Montgomery

April


- April 6 - Launch of Early Bird communications satellite. It becomes operational May 2 and is placed in commercial service in June.
- April 9 - The West German parliament extends the statute of limitations on Nazi war crimes. Also, in Houston, Texas, the Harris County Domed Stadium (or commonly known as Astrodome) was opened.
- April 11 - The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak: An estimated fifty-one tornadoes (forty-seven confirmed) hit in six Midwestern states killing anywhere from 256 to 271 people and injuring some 1,500 more.
- April 14 - In Cold Blood killers Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, convicted of murdering four members of the Herbert Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, are executed by hanging at the Kansas State Penitentiary For Men in Lansing, Kansas.
- April 21 - NY World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, NY, reopens.
- April 23 - The Pennine Way officially opened.
- April 24 - Bodies of Portuguese opposition politician Humberto Delgado and his secretary Arajaris Campos are found in a forest near Villanueva del Fresno, Spain. They were killed February 12.
- April 24 - Fighting breaks out in the Dominican Republic as officers loyal to deposed President Juan Bosch lead a mutiny against the right wing junta running the country. US troops are later sent by President Lyndon B. Johnson "for the stated purpose of protecting US citizens and preventing an alleged Communist takeover of the country", thus thwarting the possibilty of "another Cuba".
- April 28 - Vietnam War: Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces that the country will substantially increase its number of troops in South Vietnam, supposedly at the request of the Saigon government, although it is later revealed that Menzies had asked the leadership in Saigon to send the request at the behest of the Americans.
- April 29 - Australia announces that it is sending an infantry battalion to support the South Vietnam government.

May-June


- May 1 - Bob (later Sir Robert) Askin replaces Jack Renshaw as Premier of New South Wales.
- May 2 - US president Johnson sends troops to the Dominican Republic.
- May 13 - West German court of appeals condemns behavior of ex-defense minister Franz Joseph Strauss during the Spiegel scandal.
- May 19 - Tui Malila, the oldest tortoise or living animal ever, dies of natural causes.
- May 29 - A mining accident in Dhambas, India kills 274.
- May 31 - Racing driver Jim Clark wins the Indianapolis 500, and later wins the Formula One world driving championship in the same year.
- June 2 - Vietnam War: The first contingent of Australian combat troops arrives in South Vietnam.
- June 3 - US astronaut Edward White makes first US space walk during Gemini IV.
- June 7 - A mining accident in Kakanji, Bosnia results in 128 deaths.
- June 10 - Vietnam War: Battle of Dong Xoai begins - About 1,500 Vietcong mount a mortar attack on Dong Xoai and then overrun its military headquarters and adjoining militia compound.
- June 19 - Houari Boumedienne's Revolutionary Council ousts Ahmed Ben Bella in a bloodless coup in Algeria.
- June 20 - Police in Algiers break up demonstrations by people who have taken to the streets chanting slogans in support of deposed President Ben Bella.
- June 22 - Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea.
- June 24 - Freddie Mills, former British boxing champion, is found shot in his car in Soho.

July


- July 14 - US spacecraft Mariner 4 flies by Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to return images from the red planet
- July 16 - The Mont Blanc Tunnel is used for the first time
- July 22 - Sir Alec Douglas-Home suddenly resigns as a head of the British Conservative Party
- July 24 - Vietnam War: Four F-4C Phantoms escorting a bombing raid at Kang Chi are the targets of antiaircraft missiles in the first such attack against American planes in the war. One is shot down and the other three sustain damage
- July 27 - Edward Heath becomes Leader of the British Conservative Party
- July 28 - Vietnam War: US President Lyndon B. Johnson announces his order to increase the number of United States troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000
- July 29 - Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay
- July 30 - War on Poverty: US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid

August


- August 1 - Cigarette advertising banned in British television
- August 6 - US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into United States law
- August 7 - Singapore is expelled and separated from the Federation of Malaysia.
- August 9 - Singapore proclaims its independence from Malaysia
- August 9 - An explosion at a missile plant in Arkansas kills 53
- August 9 – Indonesian president Sukarno collapses in public
- August 11 - Watts Riots begin in Los Angeles, California
- August 13 - Jefferson Airplane debut at the Matrix in San Francisco, California and begin to appear there regularly.
- August 18 - Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins as 5,500 United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in Quang Ngai Province, in the first major American ground battle of the war. The Marines were tipped-off by a Viet Cong deserter who said that there was an attack planned against the US base at Chu Lai
- August 19 - At the Auschwitz trial in Frankfurt, 66 ex-SS personnel receive life sentences, 15 others smaller ones

September


- September 2 - Pakistani troops enter the Indian sector of Kashmir
- September 6 - Indian troops march on Lahore
- September 7 - China announces that it will reinforce its troops in the Indian border
- September 7 - Vietnam War: In a follow-up to August's Operation Starlite, United States Marines and South Vietnamese forces initiate Operation Piranha on the Batangan Peninsula, 23 miles south of the Chu Lai Marine base
- September 8 - India opens two additional fronts against Pakistan
- September 9 - UN secretary general U Thant negotiates with Pakistani president Ayub Khan
- September 9 - U Thant recommends China for UN membership
- September 13 - Congress of Arab countries begins in Casablanca - Habib Bourgiba boycotts the meeting
- September 14 - Opening of fourth and final period of Second Vatican Council
- September 16 - China protests against Indian provocations in its border region
- September 16 - In Iraq, Prime Minister Razzak's attempted coup fails
- September 17 - Stefan Stafanopoulos forms a new government in Greece and ends a two-year old political crisis
- September 18 - China claims that US troops have used poison gas in South Vietnam
- September 18 - In Denmark, Palle Sörensen shoots four policemen in pursuit - apprehended the same day
- September 19 - Soviet prime minister Alexei Kosygin invites the leaders of India and Pakistan to meet in Soviet Union to negotiate
- September 20 - End of term for Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail as the 3rd Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
- September 21 - Commander of US troops in Vietnam, general William Westmoreland, pleads Washington to cancel the ban to use mustard gas
- September 21 - Ismail Nasiruddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Zainal Abidin III, Sultan of Terengganu becomes the 4th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
- September 22 - Radio Peking announces that Indian troops have dismantled their equipment on the Chinese side of the border
- September 24 - Fighting between Indian and Pakistani troops erupts again
- September 24 - British governor of Aden cancels the Aden constitution and takes direct control of the protectorate because of the bad security situation
- September 27 - Largest tanker ship at the time, Tokyo Maru, launched in Yokohama
- September 28 - Fidel Castro announces that everybody who wants can immigrate to USA
- September 28 - Taal Volcano in Luzon, Philippines, erupts - hundreds dead
- September 30 – Attempted communist coup in Indonesia. Indonesian army crushes it with the lead of general Suharto

October


- October 3 - Fidel Castro announces that Che Guevara has resigned and left the country
- October 4 - Prime minister Ian Smith of Rhodesia and Arthur Bottomley of British Commonwealth begin negotiations in London - they end on October 8 without results
- October 5 - Pakistan sever diplomatic relations with Malaysia because of the disagreement in UN
- October 5 - The Beatles are set to release their song 'Love Me Do' on Parlophone
- October 6 - Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, the Moors Murderers, arrested.
- October 8 - Indonesian army arrests and executes communists
- October 8 - Olympic Committee admits East Germany as a member
- October 8 - The Post Office Tower opens in London
- October 9 - Yale University presents the "Vinland map"
- October 9 - Brigade of South Korean soldiers arrive in South Vietnam
- October 10 - First group of Cuban refugees travels to USA
- October 12 - Per Borten forms a government in Norway
- October 12 - UN general council recommends that United Kingdom try everything to stop a rebellion in Rhodesia
- October 13 - President of Congo, Joseph Kasavubu, fires Prime Minister Moise Tsombe and forms a provisional government with Evariste Kimba in a lead
- October 15 - Vietnam War: The anti-war student-run National Coordinating Committee to End the War in Vietnam stages the first public burning of a draft card in the United States
- October 16 - Suharto takes power in Indonesia
- October 17 - NY World's Fair at Flushing Meadows, NY, closes. Due to financial losses, some of the projected improvements on the park on the site fail to materialize.
- October 18 - Indonesian government declares communist party illegal
- October 20 - Ludwig Erhard elected as Chancellor in West Germany
- October 21 - Ikeja-Seki comet
- October 21 - OAU meeting begins in Accra
- October 22 - French authors André Figueras and Jacques Laurent are fined for their comments against Charles De Gaulle
- October 22 - African countries demand that the United Kingdom use force to prevent Rhodesia from declaring unilateral independence
- October 24 - British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Arthur Bottomley travel to Rhodesia for negotiations
- October 25 - Soviet Union declares its support of African countries in case Rhodesia unilaterally declares independence
- October 26
  - Anti-government demonstrations in the Dominican Republic
  - The body of Sylvia Likens discovered by authorities in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
- October 27 - Brazilian president Branco removes power of parliament, legal courts and opposition parties
- October 28 - French foreign minister Couve de Murville travels to Moscow
- October 28 - Pope Paul VI announces that ecumenical council has decided that Jews are not collectively responsible for the killing of Christ
- October 28 - In St. Louis, Missouri, the 630-foot-tall parabolic steel Gateway Arch is completed
- October 29 - Kidnapping of Mehdi Ben Barka
- October 30 - Vietnam War: Just miles from Da Nang, United States Marines repel an intense attack by wave after wave of Viet Cong forces, killing 56 guerrillas. Among the dead, a sketch of Marine positions was found on the body of a 13-year-old Vietnamese boy who sold drinks to the Marines the day before.
- October 31 - Indonesian army announces that it is fighting with communist guerillas in Java

November


- November 2 - Republican John V. Lindsay elected mayor of New York City
- November 3 - Charles De Gaulle announces that he will stand in next presidential election
- November 5 - Martial law announced in Rhodesia. UN General Assembly accepts British intent to use force against Rhodesia if necessary with a vote of 82-9.
- November 6 - Freedom Flights begin: Cuba and the United States formally agree to start an airlift for Cubans who want to go to the United States (by 1971 250,000 Cubans take advantage of this program).
- November 8 - The British Indian Ocean Territory is created, consisting of Chagos Archipelago, Aldabra, Farquhar and Des Roches islands (on June 23, 1976 Aldabra, Farquhar and Des Roches were returned to Seychelles).
- November 9 - Northeast Blackout of 1965: Several U.S. states (VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, NY and portions of NJ) and parts of Canada are hit by a series of blackouts lasting up to 13 1/2 hours.
- November 9 - Vietnam War: In New York City, 22-year old Catholic Worker Movement member Roger Allen LaPorte sets himself on fire in front of the United Nations building in protest of the war in Vietnam (this was the second such incident in a week; on November 2 32-year-old Quaker member Norman Morrison did the same thing in front of The Pentagon)
- November 11 - In Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe), the white minority regime of Ian Smith unilaterally declares independence
- November 12 - UN Security Council resolution (voted 10-0) recommends that other countries would not recognize independent Rhodesia
- November 13 - The SS Yarmouth Castle burns and sinks 60 miles off Nassau with the loss of 90 lives.
- November 14 - Vietnam War: Battle of the Ia Drang begins - In the Ia Drang Valley of the Central Highlands in Vietnam, the first major engagement of the war between regular American and North Vietnamese forces begins
- November 15 - US racer Craig Breedlove sets a new land speed record of 600.601 mph
- November 16 - Venera program: The Soviet Union launches the Venera 3 space probe from Baikonur, Kazakhstan toward Venus (on March 1, 1966 it became the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another planet)
- November 16 - Disney launches Epcot Center
- November 20 - UN Security Council recommends that all states stop trading with Rhodesia
- November 23 - Soviet general Mikhail Kazakov becomes commander of Warsaw Pact
- November 24 - Queen Elizabeth of Belgium dies
- November 24 - Congolese lieutenant general Mobutu ousts Joseph Kasavubu and declares himself president
- November 26 - At the Hammaguira launch facility in the Sahara Desert, France launches a Diamant-A rocket with its first satellite, Asterix-1 on board, becoming the third country to enter space.
- November 27 - Vietnam War: The Pentagon tells US President Lyndon B. Johnson that if planned major sweep operations needed to neutralize Viet Cong forces during the next year were to succeed, the number of American troops in Vietnam has to be increased from 120,000 to 400,000
- November 28 - Vietnam War: In response to US President Lyndon B. Johnson's call for "more flags" in Vietnam, Philippines President Elect Ferdinand Marcos announces he will send troops to help fight in South Vietnam.
- November 29 - Canadian satellite Alouette 2 is launched.

December


- December 1 - The Border Security Force is established in India as a special force to guard the borders.
- December 3 - First British aid flight arrive in Lusaka - Zambia has asked for British help against Rhodesia
- December 3 - Members of OAU decide to sever diplomatic relations with United Kingdom unless the British government ends rebellion of Rhodesia by mid-December
- December 5 – Charles De Gaulle re-elected as French president with 10,828,421 votes
- December 8 - Rhodesian prime minister warns that Rhodesia would resist trade embargo by neighboring countries with force
- December 8 - Closing of Second Vatican Council
- December 12 - In baseball, Roy Hofheinz fires manager Lum Harris (record of 65-97). Grady Hatton takes over the Astros.
- December 15 - Tanzania and Guinea sever diplomatic relations with United Kingdom
- December 15 - Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 perform the first controlled rendezvous in Earth orbit
- December 17 - British government begins oil embargo against Rhodesia - USA joins the effort
- December 21 - Soviet Unions announces that it has shipped rockets to North Vietnam
- December 21 - Soviet scientists condemn Trofim Lysenko
- December 21 - Konrad Adenauer resigns from the post of chairman of the Christian Democratic party
- December 22 - Military coup on Dahomey
- December 22 - 70 mph speed limit imposed on British roads
- December 27 - British oil platform Sea Gem collapses in the North Sea
- December 28 - Italian foreign minister Mintore Fanfani resigns
- December 30 - President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia announces that Zambia and United Kingdom have agreed to a deadline before which the Rhodesian white government should be ousted
- December 30 - Ferdinand Marcos becomes President of the Philippines

Unknown dates


- The Council for National Academic Awards is established in the UK
- TAT-4 cable goes into operation.
- Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy completed.
- Desteldonk becomes a part of Ghent (East Flanders, Flanders, Belgium)
- California City, California incorporated.

Births

January-February


- January 9 - Joely Richardson, British actress
- January 11 - Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy and nephew of U.S president John F Kennedy and Edward M Kennedy
- January 14 - Marc Delissen, Dutch field hockey player
- January 15 - Adam Jones, American musician (Tool)
- January 18 - Dave Attell, American comedian
- January 20 - Sophie, Countess of Wessex
- January 20 - John Michael Montgomery, American singer
- January 22 - DJ Jazzy Jeff, American rapper and actor
- January 22 - Diane Lane, American actress
- January 27 - Alan Cumming, Scottish actor
- January 29 - Dominik Hasek, Czech hockey player
- February 1 - Sherilyn Fenn, American actress
- February 1 - Brandon Lee, American actor (d. 1993)
- February 1 - Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
- February 11 - Stephen Gregory, American actor
- February 18 - Dr. Dre, American rapper and music producer
- February 22 - Scott Lowell, American actor
- February 23 - Michael Dell, American computer manufacturer

March-April


- March 1 - Stewart Elliott, Canadian jockey
- March 4 - Gary Helms, American kick-boxer
- March 7 - Jesper Parnevik, Swedish golfer
- March 9 - Benito Santiago, baseball player
- March 10 - Rod Woodson, American football player
- March 11 - Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, British television presenter
- March 12 - Steve Finley, baseball player
- March 14 - Kevin Brown, baseball player
- March 24 - Mark Calaway, American professional wrestler
- March 25 - Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress
- March 25 - Stefka Kostadinova, Bulgarian high jumper and president of the Bulgarian olympic committee
- April 1 - Robert Steadman, English composer
- April 4 - Robert Downey Jr., American actor
- April 7 - Bill Bellamy, American actor and comedian
- April 15 - Linda Perry, American musician
- April 16 - Martin Lawrence, American actor, comedian, and producer
- April 21 - Ed Belfour, Canadian hockey player
- April 26 - Kevin James, American comedian and actor
- April 28 - Steven Blum, American voice actor

May-June


- May 7 - Owen Hart, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 1999)
- May 9 - Steve Yzerman, Canadian hockey player
- May 14 - Eoin Colfer, Irish writer
- May 16 - Krist Novoselic, American bassist (Nirvana)
- May 17 - Trent Reznor, American musician (Nine Inch Nails)
- May 28 - Chris Ballew, American musician
- May 31 - Brooke Shields, American actress
- June 1 - Nigel Short, English chess player
- June 4 - Mick Doohan, Australian motorcycle racer
- June 7 - Mick Foley, American professional wrestler and author
- June 10 - Elizabeth Hurley, English actress
- June 15 - Bernard Hopkins, American boxer
- June 16 - Charika Corea, Sri Lankan autism campaigner

July-August


- July 1 - Harald Zwart, Norwegian film director
- July 11 - Ernesto Hoost, Dutch kickboxer
- July 17 - Craig Morgan, American singer
- July 18 - Michael Sharrett, American actor
- July 19 - Stuart Scott, American sports reporter
- July 20 - Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver nephew of John F Kennedy and son of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Mary Kennedy
- July 21 - Guðni Bergsson, Icelandic footballer
- July 22 - Shawn Michaels, American professional wrestler
- July 23 - Slash, American musician, guitar ledgend, Guns N' Roses
- July 26 - Sandra Bullock, American actress
- July 28 - Lori Loughlin, American actress
- July 31 - J. K. Rowling, English author
- August 10 - Mike Smith, American jockey
- August 10 - John Starks, American basketball player
- August 14 - Emmanuelle Béart, French actress
- August 18 - Koji Kikkawa, Japanese singer
- August 24 - Reggie Miller, American basketball player
- August 28 - Shania Twain, American singer and songwriter

September-December


- September 2 - Lennox Lewis, British boxer
- September 11 - Moby, American musician
- September 21 - Cheryl Hines, American actress
- September 20 - Robert Rusler, American actor
- September 25 - Scottie Pippen, American basketball player
- October 1 - Andreas Keller, German field hockey player
- October 5 - Mario Lemieux, Canadian hockey player
- October 5 - Patrick Roy, Canadian hockey player
- Syria. See also lists of incumbents.

Heads of Government of Syria, 1918-1920


- 'Ali Rida Basha ar-Rikabi: 30 September - 5 October 1918
- Emir Faisal: 5 October 1918 - 8 March 1920

Kings of Syria, 1920


- Faisal I: 8 March - 28 July 1920

Syrian Heads of State, 1922-1936


- Subhi Bay Barakat al-Khalidi: 28 June 1922 - 21 December 1925
- François Pierre-Alype (acting): 9 February - 28 April 1926
- Damad-i Shariyari Ahmad Nami Bay: 28 April 1926 - 15 February 1928
- Shaykh Taj ad-Din al-Hasani: 15 February 1928 - 19 November 1931
- Muhammad 'Ali Bay al-'Abid: 11 June 1932 - 21 December 1936

Presidents of Syria, 1936-present


- Hashim al-Atassi: 21 Dec