Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is to be sworn in Wednesday for a new term in a war-ravaged country, as other conflicts in the turbulent region hog the international community's attention. Assad will be sworn in for a**ther seven-year term at his palace overlooking the capital, more than three years into a war that has killed more than 170,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes. Unfortunately for Syrians, the instability has distracted the international community's attention," sighed Samir Nashar, a veteran Syrian dissident and member of the opposition National Coalition. The world, he added, can**t make up its mind whether it should focus primarily "on the Islamic State, Iraq or Egypt".