Article content BEIRUT — President Bashar al-Assad, once seen as a reformer but viewed by his many foes as a tyrant after a decade of war and repression, looks set to extend his family’s dynastic rule of Syria further with an election on Wednesday. Branded “an animal” by the United States for gassing his people and a “great fighter” by Iran for resisting Washington and Israel, Assad, 55, is running for a fourth term. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or Scion of a dynasty, Assad rules over shattered Syria Back to video He faces no serious rival, and the Syrian opposition and Western nations view the election as a farce to rubber-stamp his grip on power.