Topic: Bashar Assad
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Opinion Five guidelines for US role in Syria
The civil war in Syria has reached a stalemate. While strategic military steps like arming the opposition or establishing a no-fly zone present complications, the US can do other things to bring aid, support the opposition, undermine the Assad regime, and counter a rising Islamist influence. Here are five guidelines for the US in addressing the conflict in Syria:
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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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Backchannels What war in Syria looks like: journalist killings, deadlier IEDs
Whatever restraint that was being exercised by the parties to Syria's civil war appears to have been cast aside.
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Putin to Israel: Beware 'not that smart' wars, like ones in Iraq, Afghanistan
'To do something without knowing the final consequence isn't that smart,' Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week, citing US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was in Israel, warning leaders there of risks of a military strike against Iran.
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Terrorism & Security Syria's Assad: We are in a 'real state of war'
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told his new government yesterday to spare no effort to win what he now calls a full-scale war.
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Will Russia discuss Syria? It appears so.
Kofi Annan, international mediator, aims to arrange a meeting to discuss the Syrian conflict. U.S. officials say, "there are still hurdles to be overcome."
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Can the US and Russia save the UN cease-fire monitoring mission in Syria?
All signs in Syria seem to point to the demise of Kofi Annan's peace plan, including the UN cease-fire monitoring mission. But Annan is hoping the US and Russia can agree on a new contact group to rescue the plan.
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Backchannels Chemical weapons raise the stakes in Syria
Syria's civil war is ugly, and outside intervention could make it uglier. But Syria's alleged chemical weapons stockpiles argue for a major US and international role if the Assad regime collapses.
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Why Turkey is holding back, for now, after Syria downed its jet
NATO and Turkey talked tough about Syria's shooting down of a Turkish military jet at an emergency summit in Brussels today. But they sought to calm fears of a broader escalation.
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Turkey aims for NATO help with Syria (+video)
Following Syria's downing of a Turkish jet on Friday, officials in Turkey are looking to NATO for assistance. Syrian officials claim their act was one of self-defense.
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Syrian Army defections probably not decisive
By and large Bashar al-Assad's military is holding firm, in part because Alawites – who dominate the officer corps – believe they have little choice but to stick together or face annihilation.
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Syria's downing of Turkish jet unlikely to pull NATO into Syrian conflict (+video)
Military action is unlikely to get the support of either the UN Security Council or the Arab League, and outside intervention without the blessing of both of those bodies is all but unthinkable. And there is little appetite among the 28 NATO countries for another war in the Middle East.
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Egypt's Mohamed Morsi wants to renew ties with Iran
Egypt's president-elect Mohamed Morsi, a hard-line Islamist, says he wants tor restore ties to Iran. Iran hailed Mursi's victory as an "Islamic Awakening."
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Terrorism & Security Three top Syrian officers defect to Turkey. How bad for Assad?
Such high-level defections have been rare so far. But if they become more frequent, they could cause Assad's regime to crumble from within.
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Syria insists downed Turkish plane was 'not an attack'
This week NATO leaders will decide how to respond to Syria's downing of a Turkish jet, which Turkey argues was in international airspace.
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Syrian downing of Turkish plane: a hostile act? (+video)
Syria brought down a Turkish plane with two pilots aboard. Questions remain about the incident and the Turkish response. Leaders say, "Turkey cannot endure it in silence."
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Backchannels Syria shoots down a Turkish fighter jet
It's evidence of how tense the situation has grown along the Turkish border of war ravaged Syria. But early indications are a major escalation won't result.
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US ambassador taps Facebook to drive wedge between Syrian military and Assad
Using social media, US Ambassador Robert Ford warns Syrian military officers they could be prosecuted for crimes against humanity by following President Bashar al-Assad’s orders.
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Backchannels CIA aiding Syria rebels: Usually, that's just the beginning
The US is wading into ever murkier waters in Syria with unpredictable consequences.
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Syrian fighter pilot defects to Jordan with his MiG-21 warplane (+video)
The air force is considered fiercely loyal to Assad's regime, but the defection suggests some of Syria's most ironclad allegiances are fraying.
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Terrorism & Security Report: CIA aids in funneling arms to Syrian rebels
According to The New York Times, the CIA is helping to vet Syrian rebel groups for arms shipments paid for by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
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The Monitor's View Arab Spring's second revolution
Tunisia, home to the Arab world's first successful uprising against a dictator, erupted this week with a battle between radical Islamists and the moderate Islamic party that dominates government. A second revolution, one within Islam that can reconcile it with democracy, will again help the Middle East.
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Terrorism & Security Russian effort to send helicopters to Syria hits snag
A British insurer revoked coverage from a Russian ship that was delivering helicopters to Syria. Without insurance, ships cannot enter port.
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Keep Calm French envoy: Russia is key player in Syria crisis
Russia supplies Syria with arms and protects it from military intervention by UN forces. But the French ambassador to US, François Delattre, says Russia may be more flexible than it seems.
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Obama will have hands full with prickly Putin at G20 summit
President Obama will sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit Monday. Putin has already shown that he's in no mood to kowtow to the US.
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Backchannels Why the UN suspended ineffective observer mission in Syria
Citing the safety of unarmed observers, the UN has suspended its Syria monitoring effort. It's the first step toward crafting a new international approach.
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Keep Calm Should Columbia University have admitted Syrian dictator Assad's former press aide?
When Columbia University admitted Sheherazad Jaafari, a former aide to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, many students objected. But she's not the first controversial student at a US-based university.
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