Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Dictators never looked so good
• Kerry talks tough in Syria encounter with Russia
• Assad: Syria to offer data on chemical weapons
• Taking Lead in Syria Talks, Russia Works to Preserve Assad Regime
• Wounded vets meet Boston Marathon bombing victims
• U.N. report may hint at source of Syria chemical weapons attack
• PUTIN PULLS OBAMA'S FEET FROM THE FIRE
• Obama allies cite PR missteps in bid for Syria hit
• Holding Assad acountable
• WikiLeaks server, a 'relic of our time', sells for $33,000
• Tough traffic ban frustrates Baghdadis
• Boeing delivers last C-17 to US Air Force
• Arms dealer: Military hardware meant for hunting
• Iran's new president seeks to begin outreach at UN
• Can Obama Recover?
• Kerry testing Russia on Syria weapons
• Kerry set to test Russia on Syria weapons
• U.S.-Kurdistan Business Council Meets With Senior Delegation From The Kurdistan Regional Government
• Iran boosted by US holding off on Syria strike: experts
• Syria chemical arms destruction 'immensely difficult': IISS
• Dozens of Syrian rebels and Kurds killed in clashes
• Wounded vets to meet marathon bombing victims
• As Iraq's economy tries to rebound, bureaucracy brings it down
• Syrian rebels blast Russian offer on chemical arms
• Activists: Syrian rebel infighting kills nearly 50
• Iraqi Kurd nature reserve bids to shed violent legacy
• Three soldiers among 7 killed in Iraq attacks
• Your Syria Scorecard!
• Syria crisis exposes rifts in U.S.-German ties
• Last Iranian dissidents moved out of Iraq camp after violence
• Survivors of Iran exile camp slaughter move to Baghdad
• Striking Syria: Is Obama too Much Like Bush -- or not Enough?
• Lack of Assad alternatives hangs over Syria war
• After seeing Iraq up close, top U.S. general wary on Syria
• U.N. report may hint at source of Syria chemical attack
• 20 best Twitter reactions to Vladimir Putin's dovish New York Times op-ed
• 4 angriest liberal laments about Obama's Syria policy
• Putin plays trump card in high-stakes Syria standoff

Dictators never looked so good Posted: 12 Sep 2013 04:54 PM PDT By David Rohde Dictators have never looked so good. Vladimir Putin is saving the United States from another Mideast military intervention. Bashar al-Assad promises to "thin the herd" of jihadists and hold Syria together. And Egypt's new strongman, General Abdal Fattah el Sisi, says he is sorting out the Muslim Brotherhood. With each passing month in the Middle East, it seems, authoritarianism grows more attractive. Leaders described as "repressive" sound eminently reasonable. They promise to bring order to chaos. Putin's op-ed article in the New York Times on Wednesday is the latest example. ...

Kerry talks tough in Syria encounter with Russia Posted: 12 Sep 2013 04:37 PM PDT GENEVA (AP) — Striking a tough tone, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry opened swiftly convened talks with Russia on Syria's chemical weapons Thursday by bluntly rejecting a Syrian pledge to begin a "standard process" by turning over information rather than weapons — and nothing immediately.

Assad: Syria to offer data on chemical weapons Posted: 12 Sep 2013 04:12 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad publicly agreed Thursday to a Russian plan to secure and destroy his chemical weapons, but said the proposal would work only if the U.S. halts threats of military action.

Taking Lead in Syria Talks, Russia Works to Preserve Assad Regime Posted: 12 Sep 2013 03:15 PM PDT On Thursday, Sept. 12, when Russian and American diplomats came to the negotiating table in Geneva, the Russian side came in with the upper hand. The previous night, they had sent Washington a proposal for dismantling Syria's stockpiles of chemical weapons. According to the Russian diplomat Alexei Pushkov, who discussed the outlines of the proposal with TIME, it includes several complicated phases and gives Syria a leading role in the destruction of its own chemical arsenal. The American side, meanwhile, has one trump card in these negotiations — the threat of a military strike against Syria. ...

Wounded vets meet Boston Marathon bombing victims Posted: 12 Sep 2013 03:01 PM PDT BOSTON (AP) — Wounded veterans from across the U.S. and survivors who lost limbs in the Boston Marathon bombing drew inspiration from one another Thursday as they swapped stories and worked to raise public awareness of the challenges they face.

U.N. report may hint at source of Syria chemical weapons attack Posted: 12 Sep 2013 02:33 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau and Anthony Deutsch UNITED NATIONS/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - U.N. chemical weapons investigators will not explicitly blame anyone in their forthcoming report on the August 21 poison gas attack in Syria, but diplomats say their factual reporting alone could suggest which side in the civil war was responsible. The United States and other Western powers blame forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin asserts there is "every reason to believe" it was carried out by rebels. France's U.N. ...

PUTIN PULLS OBAMA'S FEET FROM THE FIRE Posted: 12 Sep 2013 02:31 PM PDT WASHINGTON -- If there is one predominant conclusion shared by a number of the nation's best thinkers on foreign affairs this week, it is that the Russians did Barack Obama a great favor by getting him out of his plan to attack Syria in order to do ... well, something!The plan, which purportedly came from Russian President Vladimir Putin through his foreign minister, is already taking form in meetings in Geneva with Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart. ...

Obama allies cite PR missteps in bid for Syria hit Posted: 12 Sep 2013 01:38 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of President Barack Obama's top allies say the president misread a few crucial political forces when he asked Congress to support his bid to strike Syria.

Holding Assad acountable Posted: 12 Sep 2013 01:14 PM PDT Louis Fisher, scholar in residence at the Constitution Project, discusses an important letter detailing the potential costs of a Syrian intervention by President Obama, as well as roadblocks placed by the President in his own path.

WikiLeaks server, a 'relic of our time', sells for $33,000 Posted: 12 Sep 2013 12:31 PM PDT STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The server used by pro-transparency organization WikiLeaks when it released secret documents in 2010 about the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a massive trove of diplomatic cables was sold for $33,000 on Thursday. Swedish Internet firm Bahnhof, which hosted WikiLeaks at the time, sold the Dell server on online marketplace eBay. http://r.reuters.com/zyv92v Bahnhof Chief Executive Jon Karlung called the server "a relic of our time" and said the buyer was a non-Swedish national. The data it contained had been erased, Karlung said. ...

Tough traffic ban frustrates Baghdadis Posted: 12 Sep 2013 12:26 PM PDT Moves to bar half of Baghdad's cars from the roads have left residents frustrated, with many doubtful that the rules will achieve the aim of curbing car bombs.

Boeing delivers last C-17 to US Air Force Posted: 12 Sep 2013 11:33 AM PDT Boeing has delivered the final C-17 produced for the U.S. Air Force, more than two decades after the mammoth and versatile transport plane was rolled out as the Cold War wound down. Military officials ...

Arms dealer: Military hardware meant for hunting Posted: 12 Sep 2013 10:45 AM PDT A Belarus man admits he bought $700,000 worth of rifle scopes, night-vision goggles and other military hardware from U.S. exporters, but his lawyer said he sold them to hunters, not terrorists. The sentencing ...

Iran's new president seeks to begin outreach at UN Posted: 12 Sep 2013 10:13 AM PDT TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — For 15 years, Iranian presidents have been drawn to the U.N.'s global stage to mold their image and press their message.

Can Obama Recover? Posted: 12 Sep 2013 09:48 AM PDT Never has Winston Churchill's epigram looked so apt as right now: "Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing," the eloquent Briton reportedly said, "after they've exhausted all the other possibilities." Barack Obama at first tried just about every possibility in dealing with Syria but the right one. For many months, he ignored the spreading civil war there, even as it spilled over the borders into Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. ...

Kerry testing Russia on Syria weapons Posted: 12 Sep 2013 09:46 AM PDT GENEVA (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his team opened two days of meetings with their Russian counterparts on Thursday, hoping to emerge with the outlines of a plan for the complex task of safely securing and destroying vast stockpiles of Syrian chemical weapons in the midst of a brutal and unpredictable conflict.

Kerry set to test Russia on Syria weapons Posted: 12 Sep 2013 08:45 AM PDT GENEVA (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his team open two days of meetings with their Russian counterparts on Thursday, hoping to emerge with the outlines of a plan for the complex task of safely securing and destroying vast stockpiles of Syrian chemical weapons in the midst of a brutal and unpredictable conflict.

U.S.-Kurdistan Business Council Meets With Senior Delegation From The Kurdistan Regional Government Posted: 12 Sep 2013 08:37 AM PDT WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United States Kurdistan Business Council (USKBC) this week heard about the latest political and economic developments in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) ministerial-level delegation.Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, and Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the KRG's High Representative to the United Kingdom, briefed USKBC companies about events in Kurdistan, Iraq and the broader Middle East.Mr. ...

Iran boosted by US holding off on Syria strike: experts Posted: 12 Sep 2013 08:13 AM PDT Iran has been emboldened by Washington's decision to hold fire on launching military strikes against its key ally Syria, which has also boosted Tehran's position on its controversial nuclear drive, experts say.

Syria chemical arms destruction 'immensely difficult': IISS Posted: 12 Sep 2013 07:57 AM PDT Destroying Syria's chemical weapons under a Russian plan would be "immensely difficult" and may do little to end the conflict there, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said on Thursday.

Dozens of Syrian rebels and Kurds killed in clashes Posted: 12 Sep 2013 07:36 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - A surge of clashes in Syria's oil-producing northeast has killed dozens of rebels and Kurdish fighters in the past two days, activists said on Thursday, in fighting that highlights a struggle for territory and resources. Fighters from Syria's ethnic Kurdish minority - roughly 10 percent of the 23-million-strong population - have carved out an increasingly autonomous region near the frontiers with Iraq and Turkey. ...

Wounded vets to meet marathon bombing victims Posted: 12 Sep 2013 07:35 AM PDT BOSTON (AP) — Wounded veterans and Boston Marathon bombing survivors who lost limbs planned to come together in Boston on Thursday to share their experiences and send a message that life goes on.

As Iraq's economy tries to rebound, bureaucracy brings it down Posted: 12 Sep 2013 07:23 AM PDT Years of declining violence have improved Iraq's economic prospects, and the market is once again ripe for investment. In 2012, the nation's per capita GDP climbed to $6,300, up from just $1,300 in 2004.

Syrian rebels blast Russian offer on chemical arms Posted: 12 Sep 2013 07:13 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's top rebel commander called Thursday for regime officials to be put on trial for carrying out an alleged chemical attack near Damascus that killed hundreds last month, blasting a Russian proposal for securing the country's chemical arsenal.

Activists: Syrian rebel infighting kills nearly 50 Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:35 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Activists say infighting between rebel forces in Syria has killed at least 50 in clashes in the country's northeast.

Iraqi Kurd nature reserve bids to shed violent legacy Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:27 AM PDT Near Iraq's northernmost point, close to Turkey and Iran, a national park of snow-capped peaks and forested valleys is drawing tourists and researchers keen to explore a hardly touched land.

Three soldiers among 7 killed in Iraq attacks Posted: 12 Sep 2013 04:54 AM PDT A spate of attacks across Iraq killed seven people on Thursday, including three who died when a suicide car bomber struck as recruits were leaving a military base, officials said.

Your Syria Scorecard! Posted: 12 Sep 2013 03:27 AM PDT With the Syrian mess changing daily if not hourly, it's hard to keep track of where important figures stand on this grave matter. The president and many members of Congress seem to have embraced the idea of giving Damascus a chance to turn over its chemical members. With some time to go before Congress has to take a vote on the matter, consider where the equally divided punditocracy stands on a military strike. It's not a simple left-right split of course. It's not even a bomb or don't-bomb split. That's why you need a scorecard. ...

Syria crisis exposes rifts in U.S.-German ties Posted: 12 Sep 2013 03:19 AM PDT The largest country in the European Union has been decidedly reluctant to follow President Obama's call for robust action in Syria.

Last Iranian dissidents moved out of Iraq camp after violence Posted: 12 Sep 2013 02:10 AM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The last remaining Iranian dissidents in a camp in eastern Iraq have been transferred to a base in Baghdad pending resettlement abroad, the United Nations said on Thursday, less than two weeks after a bout of violence that killed 52 people there. The dissidents belong to the Mujahadin-e-Khalq (MEK), which wants Iran's clerical leaders overthrown, and are no longer welcome in Iraq under the Tehran-aligned, Shi'ite Muslim-led government that replaced late Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. ...

Survivors of Iran exile camp slaughter move to Baghdad Posted: 12 Sep 2013 01:49 AM PDT The survivors of a mass killing in an Iraqi camp housing Iranian exiles were moved during the night to another camp on the edge of Baghdad, the United Nations said on Thursday.

Striking Syria: Is Obama too Much Like Bush -- or not Enough? Posted: 12 Sep 2013 12:00 AM PDT For a president who distinguished himself from his predecessor by promising to extricate the United States from Iraq and Afghanistan, Barack Obama suddenly appears determined to maroon his own presidency in Syria. But critics who worry that Obama is imitating George W. Bush are missing the central irony in his predicament — which stems from his failure to mimic Bush closely enough.

Lack of Assad alternatives hangs over Syria war Posted: 11 Sep 2013 11:24 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — The crisis over chemical weapons in Syria has underlined a central dilemma for the West as it tries to deal with the country's civil war — the lack of attractive alternatives to President Bashar Assad.

After seeing Iraq up close, top U.S. general wary on Syria Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:08 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - America's top military officer General Martin Dempsey has already seen one Middle Eastern civil war. He is much more cautious about involvement in another. While Dempsey, 61, has argued in favor of the White House's idea of limited military strikes against Syria and arming moderate rebels, he has made clear his lack of enthusiasm for widening America's role in the conflict much beyond that. A decade ago, Dempsey was a brigadier general commanding the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad. ...

U.N. report may hint at source of Syria chemical attack Posted: 11 Sep 2013 08:29 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau and Anthony Deutsch UNITED NATIONS/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - U.N. chemical weapons investigators will not explicitly pin the blame on anyone in their upcoming report on the August 21 poison gas attack in Syria, but diplomats say their factual reporting alone could suggest which side in the country's civil war was responsible. The report could easily become a bargaining chip in talks between Moscow and Western powers on conditions for Syria to give up its chemical weapons and the terms of a United Nations Security Council resolution on the matter. ...

20 best Twitter reactions to Vladimir Putin's dovish New York Times op-ed Posted: 11 Sep 2013 08:05 PM PDT Russian President Vladimir Putin has an op-ed in Thursday's New York Times, urging the American people and their representatives to exercise caution in Syria.

4 angriest liberal laments about Obama's Syria policy Posted: 11 Sep 2013 05:15 PM PDT That sound you just heard is a whole warden of bleeding hearts exsanguinating. Every relationship hits a rough patch, but the bond between President Obama and a certain breed of liberal intellectuals -- think pragmatic, explanatory, unsure of all the answers themselves -- has been unbreakable. Sure, these analysts have criticized Obama in the past, but it was in the spirit of good-natured and helpful chiding. And their assistance in explaining Obama's health care plan better than he could was invaluable in convincing some Democrats to support it. In the wake of the Syria... ...

Putin plays trump card in high-stakes Syria standoff Posted: 11 Sep 2013 05:10 PM PDT After over two years of isolation and vilification as the last significant friend of Bashar al-Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears for now to have played a trump card in the Syrian crisis with a plan for the regime to hand over chemical weapons.

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