Topic: Bashar Assad
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Not just sexy Kim Jong-un: 5 times the Onion has fooled foreign media
When the People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, took as straight news The Onion's declaration that stout North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was 2012's "Sexiest Man Alive," it became the biggest foreign media outlet to be fooled by the satirical American newspaper. But it is not the first. Here are several other foreign news sites that took Onion fiction as newsworthy fact.
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War with Iran? 5 ways events overseas could shape Obama's second term.
The threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program is the most urgent example of the foreign-policy challenges that face President Obama in his second term. Here are four others.
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In key Syrian city, snipers and bombing tear at fabric of daily life
As rebels and the Syrian government battle for control of Aleppo, residents tap caution – and dark humor – to survive.
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5 national security issues next president must tackle
President Obama and Mitt Romney battle over foreign policy issues in the third and final presidential debate. No matter who wins the presidential election November 6, Mr. Romney or Mr. Obama will have to confront five urgent national security issues in the first weeks of his term.
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Foreign affairs: 23 new books I wish Obama and Romney would read
In preparation for the upcoming presidential debate on foreign policy, check out these 23 books that offer the kind of nuance and context mostly overlooked during a campaign.
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Amid bloodshed and chaos, Syrian wages a war for neutral reporting
Rami Jarrah, a Syrian anti-regime activist now living in Cairo, is launching Syria's first non-state-run news outlet to provide something he sees as sorely missing: objective reporting.
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Terrorism & Security
Any end in sight? Syrian conflict enters third calendar year (+video)Many believed 2012 would be Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's last year in power, but at the outset of 2013 the conflict appears locked in a stalemate with alarming fatality rates.
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Focus
Obama's pivot to Asia? Middle East will still demand attention in 2013.The popular unrest of the last two years has left the Middle East volatile as 2013 kicks off.
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Terrorism & Security
UN envoy: Without deal in Syria, think Somalia not YugoslaviaThe United Nations' envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi argued against hopes that the country could find stability by devolving into a set of smaller states.
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UN Envoy warns of mass death next year in Syria
The international envoy to Syria emphasized the deteriorating situation in the country, and called for a quick end to the conflict, warning hundreds of thousands could die next year.
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Russia urges Damascus to talk with Syrian opposition
Russia, Syria's biggest international supporter, is leaning on President Bashar al-Assad to begin a dialogue with the Syrian opposition and take steps toward ending the conflict.
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Focus
In 2013, possibilities for stability from Somalia to South China SeaPolicymakers in many of the world's hot spots have a common New Year's wish: for unity to usher in and consolidate political and economic stability.
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Syrian conflict threatens to fracture Iraq
Semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan and the central Iraqi government are on a collision course as the Kurds increasingly side with the Syrian opposition and Baghdad stands by the Assad regime.
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Terrorism & Security
UN envoy tries to revive Syria peace planThe plan from UN special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, is unlikely to gain traction without more concessions to the Syrian opposition.
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Assad sends envoy to Moscow for talks on ending Syria's conflict
The Syrian senior diplomat is expected to discuss the UN mediator's proposals for ending the conflict. Russia, meanwhile, has signaled growing acceptance of President Assad exiting power.
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Syrian moderates fear being edged out of uprising
Some of Syria's moderate opposition members worry they are losing a place in the fight against the regime as better-armed, more experienced hard-line groups proliferate.
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In war-torn Syria, tactic of targeting civilians is on the rise
Under international law, it's a war crime to target civilians in a war zone. That hasn't halted the tactic in Syria, where hundreds of civilians have died in attacks such as one Sunday at a bakery in Halfaya in a rebel stronghold.
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Lebanese border means little in Syria's civil war
With Sunni villages sheltering Syrian rebel fighters and Shiite villages shipping Hezbollah fighters across the border, northern Lebanon is now just another frontline in Syria's war.
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Obama chooses John Kerry for secretary of State. How might he do?
President Obama is expected on Friday to name Sen. John Kerry to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He'd come with his own pet issues – as well as a reputation as a patient negotiator.
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Terrorism & Security
Syria fires more Scud missiles as refugee projections climbNATO condemned Syria for firing Scud-type missiles yesterday, which Syria denies doing. The UN says the violence could result in as many as 1 million refugees over the next six months.
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Putin, EU likely to remain at odds
Disputes between Russia and the European Union are wide-ranging. Contentious topics will likely be under discussion at Friday's meeting in Brussels between leaders of the two political powerhouses.
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Putin presser: chilling news for orphans, but warm words for Depardieu (+video)
In a lengthy session, Russian President Putin backed a bill banning US adoption of Russian children – but offered residency to Gérard Depardieu, who renounced his French citizenship over high taxes.
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Terrorism & Security
Palestinians begin returning to Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria (+video)Palestinians are returning to their refugee camp after fighting sent them fleeing, but the number fleeing Syria or facing internal displacement continues to rise.
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Syrian rebel infighting could take dangerous turn if Assad falls
If President Bashar al-Assad falls and the disparate Syrian opposition groups lose their common enemy, their ranks will likely fracture – perhaps violently.
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The Monitor's View: What Kerry, Hagel would bring to Obama diplomacy
Reports of Sen. John Kerry becoming Secretary of State, and Republican Chuck Hagel being tapped for Defense, hint at a new attempt to use 'soft power' in Obama's second term. But will it work?
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Backchannels
Richard Engel freed, but news blackout debate remainsNBC Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and two other reporters are free today after five days of captivity in Syria.
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Syria: rebels fight Palestinian pro-Assad group (+video)
When the revolt against Assad's rule began in March 2011, the half-million-strong Palestinian community in Syria stayed on the sidelines. But as the civil war deepened, many Palestinians have taken sides.
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Terrorism & Security
NBC's Richard Engel released in Syria, a journalist danger zone (+video)The Syrian conflict is making 2012 the deadliest year on record for journalists.
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Jihadis bankroll aid efforts in Syria to win followers
Among those with money to throw around in the scrum for influence are groups like Jabhat al-Nusra, which the State Department says has ties to Al Qaeda in Iraq.
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Terrorism & Security
Syria's VP calls for peaceful resolution to crisis – possibly without AssadMr. Sharaa says that both the regime and rebels will need to work together to resolve the conflict in Syria, since neither has exclusive rights to dictate the country's future.
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