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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The Monitor's View Syria massacre: a moment of truth to end the lies
The massacre of women and children in Houla, Syria, finally forces Russia to stop defending the denials of Bashar al-Assad in the killing of innocent civilians by Syrian forces.
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Syria 'massacre' raises pressure for international response
Syrian artillery attack that apparently killed more than 90 people, including many children, brought French condemnation, while the UK said it would call for urgent UN Security Council meeting.
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Syrian doctors turn to smuggling supplies as war rages on
Doctors, activists, and aid groups like Doctors Without Borders are teaming up with smugglers in Jordan to supply field hospitals for the injured in Syria's war.
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Terrorism & Security UN chief: There is no 'plan B' for ending the Syrian conflict
At least 200 have died in Syria in the two months since a UN-backed cease-fire went into effect, but Ban Ki-moon rejects assertions that part of the problem is the low number of monitors on the ground.
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Opinion 6 factors that will determine concessions from Iran
Can war with Iran can be avoided? In recent talks with the West in Baghdad, Iran showed some greater flexibility about its nuclear program. But Iran has a history of trickery in the nuclear arena. Whether Tehran will cooperates with Western demands depends on the following six factors.
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Syrian spillover: Beirut sees worst clashes in four years
The killing of a Sunni cleric at a Lebanese Army checkpoint yesterday ignited widespread protests among aggrieved Sunnis. (+video)
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Sectarian violence in Lebanon echoing Syria's conflict
The past three days have witnessed fierce sectarian fighting in Tripoli, Lebanon's second city, where tensions have been exacerbated by Syria's yearlong crisis.
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Terrorism & Security Damascus bombings prompt warnings of Iraq-style insurgency
Yesterday's bombings in Damascus were the largest since the uprising began. The US and others are sounding an alarm about a particularly worrisome turn in the conflict.
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Terrorism & Security Two bombings rock Damascus in one of largest attacks since uprising (+video)
No group has claimed responsibility for today's bombings in Damascus that killed at least 40 people, but an Al Qaeda-inspired group has claimed similar attacks in the past.
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Global Viewpoint Heed Balkan lessons for a fragmenting Syria and revise Kofi Annan plan
Kofi Annan's peace plan is failing to stop violence and ensure a political dialogue in Syria. To avoid a Balkans-like tragedy, an updated plan must include negotiations between Bashar al-Assad's regime and the opposition and deploy armed UN peacekeepers.
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Syria holds an election despite months of fighting
The election is the first multiparty poll since Syria's new constitution was adopted in February. But early voting appeared thin as the opposition refused to participate.
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Cover Story Putin inauguration: World view of a Russian feeling dissed
As the second presidential inauguration of Vladimir Putin approaches, a former correspondent who once worked for him looks at the world view of the Russian iron man. His theory: The president is feeling dissed by the West and believes it conspires to "destroy" Russia.
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Syrian forces kill teenager in another Aleppo attack, reports say
One day after a raid on a local college campus resulted in four deaths, Syrian forces fired on a large group of protesters in Aleppo Friday.
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Four dead after attack on Syrian anti-government student protesters
Reports say fellow students who backed the Assad regime joined forces with Syrian security to assault those involved in a protest march on a college campus in Aleppo.
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Backchannels One year after Osama bin Laden's killing, Al Qaeda is in tatters
While his murderous ideology persists in pockets of the Middle East and beyond, Al Qaeda as it was understood after Sept. 11 has failed.
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Syrian uprising shifts toward suicide bombings. Al Qaeda's handiwork? (+video)
Today's suicide bombings in Syria's Idlib province come just three days after a suicide bombing in Damascus claimed by a salafi jihadist organization.
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Syrian bombings kill nine, injure 100 more in Idlib
A pair of deadly explosions rocked the northern Syrian city, damaging state security buildings.
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Violence abates as UN observers visit Syrian battlefield of Homs
While many analysts discount the chances of the UN peace plan working, visits by UN observers are showing some sign of temporarily reducing the violence.
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Global News Blog Growing like gangbusters, Turkey says Western economies need 'serious reforms'
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan warned Friday that the US and Europe were not doing enough to resolve the core causes of the global economic slowdown.
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Terrorism & Security Syrian regime fights on, but is running out of money
The Arab League called an emergency meeting today to debate next steps, amid reports that Syria is violating a UN cease-fire. Some advocate staying the course, as sanctions start to pinch.
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Syria: Why only 15 UN observers on the ground so far? (+video)
The UN says it will take a month to get the full 300-member observer mission on the ground, due to logistical difficulties. The delay could scuttle UN envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan.
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Backchannels After Formula One scrutiny, Bahrain hires a fan of Saddam Hussein to improve its image
Well, nothing else is working.
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As Syria cease-fire falters, Kofi Annan urges faster arrival of UN monitors
Kofi Annan, the former UN chief who negotiated the cease-fire, spoke to the Security Council Tuesday. He appears alarmed by claims that Syrian forces massacred 30 civilians in the city of Hama Monday.
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Opinion The case for military intervention in Syria
Former US ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker argues that the West should not wait for a single mass atrocity before it intervenes in Syria, as it did in Bosnia. What is the magic number of deaths that will prompt the international community to act? We've already passed 9,000.
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One dead, three wounded in separate Damascus attacks Tuesday
A car bomb wounded three early Tuesday near the Old City part of the Syrian capital. Meanwhile, a Syrian agent was found dead in another Damascus neighborhood.
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