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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End of emergency rule in Syria unlikely to quell protests or stop arrests
The Syrian cabinet on Tuesday passed legislation lifting nearly five decades of emergency rule. The concession may embolden protesters to demand greater reforms.
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Government forces open fire on protesters in Syria's third-largest city, Homs
Hours after the Syrian government classified the protests as an 'armed insurrection,' Syrian forces used live bullets and tear gas on protesters camping out in Homs' main square.
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Are these crazy suits Iran's answer to pro-democracy protests in Syria?
This picture of Iranian soldiers in camouflage suits during Monday's military parade should not go unnoticed as the history of the Middle East is being rewritten.
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Syrian revolution spreads, with largest protests yet
Syrian protests, which reached unprecedented numbers today, have spread to the key cities of Aleppo and Hama. The unrest has begun to draw in Lebanon.
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US officials: Iran helping Syria's Assad put down protests
The US has long been concerned about Iranian influence in Syria, which serves as the main conduit through which Iran sends weapons to Hezbollah and Hamas. Now, that influence could grow.
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Syrian Army deploys in port city after a violent weekend
Syria admitted for the first time that it is using force to put down protests after nine soldiers were killed in an ambush in the port city of Banias.
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Syria protests continue despite attacks by security forces
Syria protests: Protesters have been attacked and shot by pro-government gunmen and security forces, but the government has been unable to quash the Syria protests.
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On Facebook and Twitter, spreading revolution in Syria
Social networks are playing a central role in fueling protests in Syria, where demonstrations Friday were the largest since anti-Assad activists took to the street last month.
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Obama on Libya: The dawn of a foreign policy doctrine?
Libya may have been less a precedent than a case study in the president's blend of pragmatism and idealism.
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Syrian protesters face more violence in campaign against Assad
At least 12 protesters were reportedly killed today in demonstrations across Syria, where greater instability could alter the balance of power in the Middle East.
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The Monitor's View: Violence against protests in Syria: Why the mild US response?
Three weeks of protests in Syria have revealed the violent hand of the Assad regime, yet the US is not responding to this crisis in the same way it did in Libya.
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Syrian opposition plans Friday protests, keeping pressure on Assad
While President Bashar al-Assad has maintained a defiant tone, his government has hinted at concessions. Unconvinced, protesters plan to demonstrate again today.
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Stocks end mixed. Best first quarter since 1998.
Stocks closed out the quarter with the Dow gaining 742 points, its biggest first-quarter point gain in more than a decade and its biggest percentage gain since 1994.
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How Syria and other countries use emergency rule to quash dissent
The concept of emergency rule has been at the forefront of much of the Mideast unrest. Some countries have been in a “state of emergency” for decades, long after their citizens felt any threat still existed. Others have only recently implemented the emergency laws, in an effort to quell uprisings turned too large and violent for the governments to rein in. Although meant to help a country in times of danger, emergency law has sometimes been turned into a political tool.
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Assad finally speaks to Syrians: March 30 Mideast update
Syrian President Bashar-al Assad blamed 'external plots' in his first speech since Syrian unrest began. Libya rebels lost ground. In Bahrain, 11 Shiite legislators resigned over the government's crackdown on dissent.
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 03/29
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Syrian cabinet resigns as Assad seeks to quiet rising dissent
Assad supporters rallied in Syria's capital today ahead of a Wednesday speech in which the embattled president is expected to outline new reforms.
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Qaddafi's forces push rebels back from Sirte: March 29 Mideast update
World leaders meet in London to discuss their countries' role in Libya as rebels' westward advance is stalled. Syria's cabinet resigns. Yemen's protests pick back up.
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What is at stake if Syria's regime falls
Syria is a gateway for Iran's influence in the Middle East, but it has also been a relatively predictable neighbor for Israel. If Assad's regime comes unhinged, that could all change.
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Libya's rebels approaching Sirte: March 28 Mideast update
Libya's rebels, after a weekend of victories in several eastern cities, are approaching Sirte, a Qaddafi stronghold. Assad is likely lifting Syria's state of emergency. And in Yemen, Saleh says he is done making concessions to protesters.
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Repression or reform? Deadly protests may force Syria's Assad to choose.
Syria protests are gathering steam, fueled by a cycle of violence, misinformation, and small concessions on the part of the government.
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Syrian troops enter key port city of Latakia after 12 killed in protests
Elsewhere in Syria, anti-government protesters torched a police station and tore down a statue of the former President Hafez Assad, father of current President Bashar Assad.
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 0327
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Syria's Assad willing to lift emergency law
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has come under increasing pressure this week as protests turned deadly. Syrians are staying a 'Day of Dignity' protest today.
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Ban Ki-Moon: I am willing to take any measures for human rights
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon discusses intervention in Libya, the situation in Yemen and Syria, and the argument between Bahrain and Iran. He reiterates Israel's human rights violations and the importance of the peace process. He speaks finally of his hopes for the Arab region.
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