Topic: Bashar Assad

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Can cooperation on Boston bombings bridge US-Russia distrust? It will be hard. (+video)

Since the Boston bombings, Russia has shared intelligence and Putin and Obama have pledged to cooperate. But US-Russia distrust runs deep, experts caution.
Syrian regime's core supporters begin to drift away

Support for Assad among the Alawites, a religious minority, is waning. But sectarian hostilities and increasing religiosity make Alawites hesitant to join the opposition.
Terrorism & Security Site of assassination attempt on Syrian prime minister sends warning to regime

The Syrian prime minister escaped the bombing unharmed, but the attack – in one of Damascus's wealthiest neighborhoods – shows the safe zone for regime members is shrinking.
Obama’s 'red line' on Syria: An Iraq-like 'slam dunk' moment? (+video)

President Obama said a 'red line' would be crossed if the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against rebels. Might that propel the US into war, as those elusive 'weapons of mass destruction' did in Iraq?
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?
The Monitor's View Of one mind about chemical weapons and protecting the innocent

Probable evidence of chemical-gas use in Syria may soon force world leaders to intervene. Their decision should be based on a principle enshrined in a global ban of such weapons – a respect for the innocence of civilians in not being harmed by this indiscriminate tool of war.
Syria chemical weapons: Where did they come from? (+video)

The roots of Syria's chemical weapons program lie decades in the past, perhaps back to the 1970s. Other countries were early suppliers. What's uncertain now is if Syria can make its own chemical weapons.
Syria chemical weapons: Pentagon weighs evidence, plans response

Pentagon officials say they are still trying to confirm reports that Syria has used chemical weapons against civilians, but that they are preparing a military option for any outcome.
AP tweet that rattled stock markets exposes media vulnerability

The news media are relying more on social media – both as a reporting tool and to disseminate their own content. But a hack of the AP Twitter account shows how things can go wrong.
Backchannels Should use of chemical weapons in Syria be a 'game changer?'

Last month President Obama called chemical weapons use by Syria a 'game changer,' but why do US interests change if chemical weapons are used?
White House all but sure Syria used chemical weapons – but needs to be sure

Since August, President Obama has laid down use or transfer of Syria’s chemicals weapons as a 'red line.' The White House letter puts the US closer to acknowledging such a line has been crossed.
Chemical weapons in Syria? What Obama's high bar for proof could mean.

Three key US allies – Britain, France, and Israel – have said Syria has used chemical weapons in its civil war, but the US, wary of intervening in the conflict, is calling the evidence 'inconclusive.'
Could chemical weapons in Syria force Obama's hand?

President Obama last August declared that any use or transport of Syria's chemical weapons would constitute a 'red line' for US policy toward the country. Now Israel, Britain, and France say they have evidence that Syria has crossed that line.
Two bishops kidnapped by rebels, says Syrian government

Two bishops were kidnapped by 'a terrorist group,' say Syrian officials. Several Muslim clerics have been killed, but the two bishops are the most senior Christian leaders caught up in the conflict which has killed more than 70,000 people across Syria.
Syrian rebels intensify rocket attacks into Lebanon

Rebels fighting the Syrian government are shelling villages on the Lebanese side of the border in order to curb a Lebanese group's efforts to help the Syrian regime.
US, Russia missed chances to intercept Tamerlan Tsarnaev

Russia warned the US about the future Boston Marathon bomber back in 2011. But when Mr. Tsarnaev returned to Russia the next year, authorities there apparently left him alone.
In Middle East Kerry pushes for Turkey-Israel rapprochement

Secretary of State John Kerry is in the Middle East exploring options for renewed peace efforts. On Sunday, he urged Turkey and Israel to normalize relations, which broke down after Turks were killed in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010.
Pentagon sends troops to Jordan to counter Syria chemical weapons threat

The Pentagon said this week it would send a small number of troops to Jordan to help forces there deal with Syria's chemical weapons threat and to prevent the civil war from spilling over.
Iran's Khamenei condemns Boston Marathon attacks, but takes jab at US policies

Iran's supreme leader was emphatic in his condemnation of the Boston Marathon attacks, but criticized the US for decrying attacks on its own civilians while carrying out drone strikes elsewhere.
In rebel fighter's personal story, the arc of Syria's war

When The Monitor first met Syrian rebel fighter Abu Omar last July, he was buoyant and determined to bring down the Assad regime. Now his outlook is a bit more grim.
Can US-Russia relations get back on track after human rights blacklists?

President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin are hinting at hopes of getting past disputes over human rights to issues of mutual interest to the two powers, like missile defense.
The Monitor's View Looking for Obama's agenda in Syria

As killings in Syria worsen, more people look to Obama for action. But the mental preparation for action doesn't start with the White House.
Terrorism & Security Foreign ministers struggle to find common ground on Syrian conflict (+video)

Russia has been unmoving in its opposition to stronger action against the Assad regime, putting it at odds with the rest of the G8, meeting today in London, on how to resolve the Syrian conflict.
Kerry makes no further U.S. commitments in Syria

The situation in Syria and the North Korean threats were high on the agenda when G8 leaders gathered in London on Wednesday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made no further U.S. commitments in Syria, but spoke of the need for the opposition to become better organized.
Iran's 'axis of resistance' loses its Palestinian arm to Syrian war

Sunni Hamas has broken its longtime ties with the Assad regime to fight alongside the predominantly Sunni Syrian opposition.