With Bashar al-Assad having fled Damascus to one of his 20 luxury suites in Russia (valued at $30 million), it is worth taking note of a time, not that long ago, when Assad was on more amicable terms with the American regime and opened his dungeons to the CIA for the torture and interrogation of unfortunate people, such as Maher Arar, who were mercilessly swept up in the War on Terror. These grim services to the empire earned the Assad regime no lasting favors from the US and the enduring animosity of many in the Arab world.