Bashar al-Assad ascended to the Syrian presidency in 2000, succeeding his father. Still young and not fully prepared when his father died, he had to learn quickly to manipulate the arcana of power and get to grips with international diplomacy. Ten years later, his efforts to make Syria a more open country have had only limited effect, although he has succeeded in combating isolationism. This weekend, Syria prepares to celebrate 10 years of Bashar al-Assad's presidency. Duration: 02:00.