 Complete the following phrase:  According to Patrick Seale, Assads rule began with an immediate and considerable advantage: the government he displaced was so detested that any alternative came as a relief. He first tried to establish national unity, which he felt had been lost under the leadership of Aflaq and Jadid. Assad differed from his predecessor at the outset, visiting local villages and hearing citizen complaints. The Syrian people felt that Assads rise to power would lead to change; one of his first acts as ruler was to visit Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, father of the Aflaqite Baathist Mansur al-Atrash, to honor his efforts during the 