Topic: Ba'ath Party
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Four things Syria must do after Bashar al-Assad
It’s not too early to consider the way forward for Syria after Bashar al-Assad. Examples in other countries show that a transition will be greatly aided if Syrians can do these four things:
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Who's who in Iraq after the US exit?
The next year is probably going to be the most crucial for determining the future of Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003. Here are a few of the major players.
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Five ways 9/11 has transformed the US military
The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, fundamentally transformed the way the United States military wages war, forcing the Pentagon to rethink some of its basic tenets. Here are the Top 5 changes since 9/11.
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Seven reasons why Syrian opposition hasn't toppled Assad
Physical repression isn't the only reason Syrian protesters have suffered serious setbacks. Middle East expert Bilal Y. Saab of The University of Maryland gives us seven other factors that explain why things might get worse before they get better for the Syrian opposition in its quest to topple Assad.
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Syria 101: 4 attributes of Assad's authoritarian regime
How have authoritarian regimes remained in control so long in the Middle East? In Syria's case, a critical factor is the concentration of power in a single family, political party, and religious sect.
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Backchannels
What the attacks in Iraq tell us [VIDEO]Iraq's sectarian divisions are deep, militants both Sunni and Shiite still roam the landscape, and the US is no longer in a position to do much about it.
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Backchannels
The real question on Syria: Why no war crimes indictments yet?Crackdowns on the scale of Syria's have prompted action by the International Criminal Court elsewhere. The ICC opened an investigation against Qaddafi just three weeks into Libya's uprising.
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Terrorism & Security
US: Syria's leadership showing fissuresThe US has announced new sanctions on Syria in hopes of dividing the business elite from the government. But Turkey has surprised its American allies by patiently pursuing diplomacy instead.
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Terrorism & Security
Turkey risks Syria's friendship in last-ditch effort to end violence [VIDEO]Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoğlu is in Damascus today to warn Syria's President Assad against continuing his crackdown on the country's uprising.
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Syria introduces law allowing independent political parties
The bill, approved by the cabinet yet awaiting agreement from Syria's parliament, is the regime's latest concession to protesters. But it includes some restrictions that could limit its impact.
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Terrorism & Security
Syrian opposition boycotts 'national dialogue' over ongoing violenceThe government crackdowns on Homs and Hama continued today, reinforcing the opposition's doubts that the Assad regime will pursue reforms.
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Backchannels
US 'offering' to keep troops in Iraq? More like begging for permission to stay.The US appears desperate to keep troops in Iraq beyond this year's deadline. The Iraqis? Not so much.
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Backchannels
Syrians stage mass protest in Hama today [VIDEO]The site of a notorious 1982 massacre that quelled an uprising saw protesters come out in force, demanding the regime of Bashar al-Assad be brought down.
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Arab Spring crackdown damages Kurdistan's image as regional model
The US has long championed semi-autonomous Kurdistan as a democratic model for the rest of Iraq and the Middle East. But Kurdish leaders have violently shut down dissenters.
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Assad's speech may buy time, but not survival
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave his first speech in two months today, offering elections and reforms this summer in an apparent bid to secure the patience of Syria's silent majority.
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Syria's regime cracks down hard. But is the military on board?
Syrian troops are attacking the northern town of Jisr al-Shughur, which has a history of rebellion against the regime. Increasingly, however, there are reports of dissent within the military.
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Seven reasons why Syrian opposition hasn't toppled Assad
Physical repression isn't the only reason Syrian protesters have suffered serious setbacks. Middle East expert Bilal Y. Saab of The University of Maryland gives us seven other factors that explain why things might get worse before they get better for the Syrian opposition in its quest to topple Assad.
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Has Syria's peaceful uprising turned into an insurrection?
The Syrian regime's claims that 120 soldiers and security personnel were killed in Jisr al-Shughur over the weekend have intensified the debate over who is behind the uptick in armed resistance.
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Backchannels
Did Syria's ambassador to France just quit?If she did, it could spell trouble for President Bashir al-Assad.
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Syria's Assad offers amnesty to political prisoners
Assad's conciliatory gesture is unlikely to halt the momentum of Syria's opposition, which is meeting in Turkey to discuss a transition to democracy.
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Iran sees threat to its clout amid Arab Spring
Iran's relationship with Syria gives it clout with a broad range of players. If Syria's regime collapses, so too could Iran's regional influence.
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Assad regime may be gaining upper hand in Syria
One indication of Syria's confidence is that it has not yet attempted to wreak havoc regionally – a tactic it has employed in the past when feeling threatened.
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Syria's Assad regime gets little sympathy from neighbors
Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad, kept Syria stable for 40 years through Machiavellian guile and ruthlessness, while sowing havoc elsewhere in the region.
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Syria 101: 4 attributes of Assad's authoritarian regime
How have authoritarian regimes remained in control so long in the Middle East? In Syria's case, a critical factor is the concentration of power in a single family, political party, and religious sect.
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Terrorism & Security
Syrian ruling party members defect en masseMore than 200 Baath Party members announced their resignation Wednesday in the largest expression of dissent since the party came to power in 1963.
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Syrian protesters set sights on riskier goal: Unseating Assad
At least 49 people were killed today when Syrian security forces used live ammunition to disperse the largest antiregime demonstrations yet.
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Opinion: Syria protests: Is there a peaceful path to democracy?
Can Syria make a transition to democracy without facing the deadly battles now seen in Libya, or the repression in Bahrain? Yes, if enough leaders within Syria show vision and restraint, and if they are open to some outside mediation from South Africa, Turkey, and the US.
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Once seen as shy reformer, Syria's Assad confounds hopes
Many thought that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was at heart a reformer. But his response to unprecedented protests and violence suggest otherwise.
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The Monitor's View: Violence against protests in Syria: Why the mild US response?
Three weeks of protests in Syria have revealed the violent hand of the Assad regime, yet the US is not responding to this crisis in the same way it did in Libya.
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Syrian cabinet resigns as Assad seeks to quiet rising dissent
Assad supporters rallied in Syria's capital today ahead of a Wednesday speech in which the embattled president is expected to outline new reforms.
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