Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been fighting rebels for the last three years and been isolated by much of the world, issued a decree to form a new government on Wednesday, keeping most key ministers in place. Assad was sworn in for a new seven-year term on July 16 after a presidential election that confirmed his grip on power, a process that required him to name a new government. He re-appointed Wael al-Halaqi as prime minister, having first given him the job 2012 after his predecessor, Riad Hijab, fled Syria to join the opposition.