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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Keep Calm What's behind Russia's involvement in Syria and Iran? National interests.
Russia has spent political and real capital building alliances with Syria and Iran. It's not surprising that Moscow now wants to defend its allies' interests at the bargaining table.
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Terrorism & Security UN Security Council poised to threaten Syria's Assad - with Russia's blessing
The United Nations Security Council secured Russia's critical backing yesterday for a statement backing envoy Kofi Annan's peacemaking plan. The step marks a distinct shift in Russia's stance.
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Two vetoes later, Russia says it will now back UN plan on Syria
Russia has steadfastly rejected pressure by the UN Security Council for Syrian President Assad to step aside. It says it will now support a UN resolution supporting a cease-fire, Red Cross access.
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Poll finds American sympathy for Syrians, scant desire to intervene
Post-Iraq conflict fatigue appears to be replacing any 'bellicose itch' among Americans, according to a poll that finds US support for save havens in Syria if someone else sets them up.
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Bomb explodes near another security complex in Syria
The blast, possibly from a car bomb, killed two and wounded 30 in Aleppo, Syria. A series of bombs have targeted security installations in recent months as the regime battles an uprising.
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Syria crisis causes Iran-led 'axis of resistance' to fray
The Syria crisis is complicated by the regional cold war that has simmered for years between resistance powers like Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, and Western allies in the region such as Saudi Arabia.
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Opinion: To help Syria, apply a mix of 'soft' and 'hard' power
Sanctions and isolation of the Assad regime are simply allowing massacres to continue in Syria. Yet the world resists an all-out military intervention in Syria. A third option is to apply a mix of 'hard' and 'soft' power to relieve the suffering there.
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Why Syria's Assad could hang on for a decade or more (+video)
Despite defiant talk from fighters vowing to oust him, Syria's Assad is in a much stronger position than was Libya's Qaddafi.
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Terrorism & Security Next on Syrian hit list: Deraa, cradle of the uprising
After overrunning Homs and launching an assault on Idlib, Syrian government troops are staging an offensive on Deraa, where the uprising began a year ago.
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Russia sees 'no reason' to halt weapon support for Syria
A Russian official said today that his country will fulfill several existing arms deals with Syria in the latest indication that Russian opposition to foreign intervention is growing.
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Terrorism & Security Report: Syrian forces overrun rebel stronghold
Syrian government troops appear to have overrun the rebel-held city of Idlib in an offensive that apparently began while UN special envoy Kofi Annan was still in the country.
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Terrorism & Security Activists: With UN gone, Syrian forces kill nearly 50 women, children
Activists described 'horrific' methods used by Syrian government forces and called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting. The government blamed the deaths on terrorists.
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Sec. Clinton to meet Russian Foreign Minister. Syria the hot topic
The Obama administration is hoping for signs from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Russia is open to considering a new draft resolution regarding Syria the US began circulating at the UN last week.
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Opinion: 'Responsibility to protect': the moral imperative to intervene in Syria
The moral imperative of the international 'responsibility to protect' doctrine, also known as R2P, compels the world to react and respond to the widespread persecution and killings in Syria.
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Syria's deputy oil minister defects to protest Assad crackdown
Abdo Husameddine's announcement came one day after the top US general said President Barack Obama has asked for a preliminary review of military options in Syria, as the conflict grows increasingly dire.
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Syrian refugees huddle in Lebanon: 30 people, one candle, and no food
One of 30 Syrian refugees sharing a tiny house says many charity workers have visited but never returned. They are among thousands displaced by a Syrian crackdown on a belt of towns near Lebanon.
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Terrorism & Security Russia says it won't offer asylum to Syria's Assad
But that doesn't mean that President-elect Vladimir Putin will soften Russia's opposition to intervention in Syria, as the US had hoped.
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John McCain badgers Pentagon on Syria: 'We're not leading'
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta defended America's cautious stance on Syria in a Senate hearing Wednesday. A day earlier, President Obama said that unilateral action in Syria would be a mistake.
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Obama chides rivals for 'popping off' about war with Iran over nukes
At a Super Tuesday press conference, Obama sought to draw a sharp line between himself and the GOP presidential field over handling of the Iran nuclear program. 'Loose talk,' he suggested, does not befit a commander in chief.
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Why Obama is unveiling mortgage relief plan on Super Tuesday
President Obama will announce a mortgage relief plan to help some 3 million homeowners. Is it coincidence that Obama's first news conference since November is during Super Tuesday?
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Chinese envoy to press Syria for cease-fire
China's special envoy to Syria is expected to press authorities for a cease-fire to end the country's crisis. Beijing is opposed to any foreign intervention there.
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McCain urges air strikes against Syrian forces to protect citizens
US Sen. John McCain of Arizona said on Monday the United States should take the lead in an allied air campaign against Syrian armed forces.
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Backchannels Inside AIPAC and out, Obama's opponents turn up the heat
Attack ads from lobbying groups, warnings of nuclear doom from GOP hopefuls, and saber-rattling from the punditocracy surround AIPAC's annual meeting.
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AIPAC concerns aside, Israelis say Iran is a waning hegemon
Israeli leaders see Iran in danger of losing its dominance in the region as Syria, the linchpin of Tehran's regional alliance, falters. But a nuclear weapon could help it regain lost ground.
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Under siege, a Syrian town struggles to keep going
Syrian troops have blockaded the town of Qusair for about six months. The conflict between local fighters and Assad's forces surrounding the town is taking a growing toll.
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