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?
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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.
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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.
All Content
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Syria: Despite prime minister's defection, Assad’s inner circle intact (+video)
On Monday, following the defection of Syria's Prime Minister Riad Hijab to Jordan fighting continued, particularly in Damascus and Aleppo. Though Hijab's departure was high-profile, it does not appear to be a threat to Assad's closest allies.
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Syrian prime minister defects from Assad regime (+video)
Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab, a Sunni in Bashar al-Assad's Alawite-dominated government, is among the highest profile defectors to the opposition.
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Backchannels Reuters hacked by pro-Assad propagandists again, this time on Twitter
After fake articles were planted on Reuters website by supporters of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on Friday, hackers briefly seized control overnight of a Reuters Twitter account.
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Rebel astronaut? Syria's first man in space defects, says Turkish report
The astronaut, Mohammad Ahmad Faris, joins a long list of high-profile defectors to the rebel Free Syrian Army.
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Syrian Army pushes to break rebel frontlines in battle for Aleppo
The Syrian Army deployed planes and a helicopter gunship as it targeted rebel positions in Aleppo, a key city in Syria's civil war. Fighting also intensified in Damascus Saturday.
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Backchannels Ideas. Big, glib, unsupported ideas
Evgeny Morozov on the cult of 'TED.'
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How 'pro-regime' Aleppo became one of Syria's biggest battlegrounds
Aleppo was long regarded as immune to the uprising sweeping the rest of Syria, but the deaths of several students helped galvanize a dormant opposition.
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The Monitor's View: Whispers of peace in Syria
With the resignation of Kofi Annan as UN peace envoy, Syrians must now find their own solution. Reports show a 'silent majority' quietly turning against Assad – and toward peace.
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Terrorism & Security Aleppo on the verge of full-scale battle as UN vote on Syria looms
The UN warned that the long-building battle for Aleppo is 'about to start' in earnest. Kofi Annan blasted UN Security Council inaction on Syria as he stepped down as peace envoy yesterday.
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Syria: Kofi Annan steps down (+video)
Citing the Syrian government's intractability, increasing violence and the international community's lack of consensus, former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan announced his resignation. He says there is still a chance for Syria to avoid the worst, 'if the international community can show the courage and leadership necessary.'
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Kofi Annan quits as UN's Syria envoy. Is diplomacy at an end? (+video)
It could be difficult to find anyone akin to Kofi Annan who can do better at imposing an international peace plan on what analysts now consider to be a full-blown civil war in Syria.
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Syria's rebels have a new villain: the United States
The US has stepped up its rhetoric against President Assad and is providing covert support to rebels. But for many fighting the Assad regime, it is not enough.
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Opinion: Washington, get ready for more Iranian influence after Bashar al-Assad falls in Syria
After the fall of Bashar-al Assad in Syria, Iran will compensate for its lost ally by strengthening its influence in Lebanon alongside its affiliate Hezbollah – the Shiite militant group that now dominates the country. To prevent this, Washington must take a leadership role in the Lebanon.
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Syria: UN Security Council inaction earns reprimand from General Assembly
The UN General Assembly is voting Thursday to demand that Syrian President Assad step down. The symbolic move will also chastise the Security Council, where Russia and China have vetoed firmer action.
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Terrorism & Security Battle for Aleppo enters third week as Syrian rebels hold on
Syrian rebel forces are believed to be far outgunned by the Army, but they've so far held off regime efforts to overrun the city.
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Syria's iPhone insurgency makes for smarter rebellion
The prevalence of smart phones and other technology has allowed Syria's rebels to undermine state media reports and rally supporters, in Syria and abroad, with evidence of regime atrocities.
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Backchannels In Syria, hardening sides, and risks of an even bloodier civil war
A new report argues the Syrian civil war is going to get a lot worse unless the country's rebels take a series of difficult and improbable steps.
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Terrorism & Security Assad honors Syrian Army as it faces defections, and existential threat
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad commemorated the 67th anniversary of the Syrian Army, which is locked in street battles with rebels in once pro-Assad city of Aleppo.
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Inside Aleppo: Rebels repulse Syrian tanks, civilians dodge shells (+video)
Monitor reporter Scott Peterson reports from the Aleppo neighborhood of Salaheddin that the rebels are impeding the Syrian Army's ground progress, pushing them to use more deadly tactics.
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Backchannels Is Syria's Bashar al-Assad on the ropes?
It depends on who you ask.
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Terrorism & Security As Syrian government gains ground in Aleppo, it loses its people (+video)
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's warnings that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad risks losing his country because of his brutal tactics appear to be panning out.
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Syrian government pounds rebels in Aleppo, a city of millions
The Syrian military launched tank shells and artillery Sunday into parts of the country's largest city. Rebels control up to half the city's neighborhoods.
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Aleppo short on weapons, medical supplies as Syria's next big battle looms
The expected Syrian government offensive hasn't begun in earnest, but Aleppo's rebel-held neighborhoods are being pounded by shelling and gunfire and clinics are filling up with wounded.
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Turkey warns Assad that he must keep Kurds in check, or risk intervention
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said earlier this week that if the Syrian Kurds use their base to launch a terror campaign on Turkey, intervention in Syria would be 'our most natural right.'
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Terrorism & Security Syria's regime, rebel troops amass in Aleppo for 'mother of all battles'
Few expect Syrian rebels to be the victors in the battle for Aleppo, but just putting up a fight in this strategic city will send a strong message to the regime.
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