Topic: Bashar Assad

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Briefing
Chemical weapons 101: Six facts about sarin and Syria’s stockpile

President Obama said Assad's use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line' for US. Did he use sarin or any other chemical weapon against his own people?
When dictators fall, so do their banknotes

The following now defunct or possibly soon-to-be defunct banknotes are imbued with the symbols and iconography of their leaders, past and present.
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.
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.
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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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.
Terrorism & Security Syria's VP calls for peaceful resolution to crisis – possibly without Assad

Mr. 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.
Syrian opposition forces say they are on brink of major victory in Aleppo

If Syrian rebels succeed in breaching an infantry school in Aleppo, they will gain some strategically critical pieces of territory, a windfall of supplies, and possibly a slew of regime defectors.
Terrorism & Security Russia insists it stands by Syria's Assad, despite earlier comments (+video)

The Russian deputy foreign minister said yesterday that the Syrian regime might fall – a bold declaration because Russia has been a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad.
US to send Patriot missiles and troops to Turkey

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta approved a deployment order for the missiles to help defend the Middle Eastern nation from possible attack by its Syrian neighbor.
Syria's rebels, US urge Moscow to help push Assad into ceding power

Both rebel leadership and the United States urged the Russian government to help push Syria's President Bashar al-Assad into ceding power and end the battles closing in around his capital.
Syria's rebels, US urge Moscow to help push Assad into ceding power

Both rebel leadership and the United States urged the Russian government to help push Syria's President Bashar al-Assad into ceding power and end the battles closing in around his capital.
US: Syria fires Scud missiles at rebels in 'desperate' military escalation

Speaking on condition of anonymity, two officials said forces of President Bashar Assad have fired the missiles from the Damascus area into northern Syria.
Russia: Assad is losing control of Syria

Russia is the Syrian government's most powerful international ally. Its declaration that President Bashar al-Assad is losing control of Syria is a major blow to the regime.
US hesitates to forcefully condemn North Korean rocket launch

The Obama administration has made it clear the US will not tolerate Iran or Syria's acquisition of nuclear weapons, but North Korea's missile program is a tricker situation diplomatically.
For newly recognized Syrian rebel coalition, a first dispute with US (+video)

In Morocco, the 'Friends of Syria' recognized the new rebel coalition. But the day was marred by reports of Scud fire by the Assad regime and by a dispute with the US over designating a group as terrorist.
Terrorism & Security Will US recognition of Syrian opposition group open channels for weapons support? (+video)

The US has refused Syrian rebels weapons because of the presence of jihadi groups fighting there. Could recognition of the Syrian Opposition Coalition change this?
Syrian opposition receives U.S. recognition

In an effort to isolate the Assad regime, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that the Syrian opposition coalition is now inclusive enough to warrant formal recognition as being representative of the Syrian people. This status could qualify the group for further U.S. assistance moving forward.
Israeli envoy calls divisive settlement plan a politically necessary reprisal

Settlement plans east of Jerusalem – decried by the US and Europeans – were meant to punish Palestinians and satisfy domestic political pressure in Israel, Ambassador Michael Oren says.
US draws line in Syria: aligns with moderate rebels, labels others terrorists

On the verge of formally recognizing a rebel coalition as representing the Syrian people, the US designated the al-Nusra Front as a terrorist organization that is an arm of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Jihadist-backed Syrian rebels seize military base (+video)

The base's capture comes just days after the US blacklisted the Jabhat al-Nusra militia, members of whom were involved in the operation, as a terrorist organization.
Syrian chemical weapons threat not escalating, says Panetta (+video)

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that intelligence on Syria's alleged chemical-weapon activity has 'leveled off,' with no indications of new 'aggressive steps' toward deployment.
Opinion: How the US can prevent the use and spread of Syria's chemical weapons

The conflict in Syria could become even more deadly if Bashar al-Assad uses or loses control of his sizeable arsenal of chemical weapons. The international community’s options to prevent these scenarios are limited, but they do provide a starting point.
Focus Which world hot spots will clamor for Obama's attention?

Obama is unequivocal about his intent to refocus on US domestic issues during his second term. But the world is not likely to cooperate. Here are seven foreign-policy challenges already bearing down on him.
Backchannels US designates Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra front a 'terrorist' group at lightning speed

The US State Department designated Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra, one of the militias fighting Bashar al-Assad, a foreign terrorist organization.
As Syria's rebels close in, Assad has three options

The most likely is a retreat into the mountains controlled by his minority Alawite community.
The Monitor's View: How to avoid revenge killings in post-Assad Syria

The end appears near for the Assad regime in Syria. The opposition and world powers must do more to prevent the kind of post-conflict revenge – mainly against Alawites – that could ricochet in the Middle East.
Syria chemical weapons scare: Is Assad threatening to use them, or lose them? (+video)

A report suggests that Syria has ramped up activity at chemical-weapons sites. But President Bashar al-Assad might simply be sending a message to the international community.
Global News Blog How deadly would chemical weapons in Syria be?

Concerns that the Syrian regime would use chemical weapons are putting the spotlight on these weapons of mass destruction.
Syria calls chemical weapon reports 'pretext for intervention' (+video)

Bashar al-Assad's deputy foreign minister said that even if Syria had chemical weapons, it would not use them on its own people. 'We would not commit suicide,' he said.