–updated–
An eerie stillness has settled over this normally frenetic city. … “People are depressed, and they feel they have been lied to, robbed of their rights and now are being insulted,” said Nassim, a 56-year-old hairdresser. “It is not just a lie; it’s a huge one. And it doesn’t end.” – In Tehran, a Mood of Melancholy Descends
Iran remains in limbo, with people facing a regime that offers no out, no way forward, only more walking into the past. As the regime crushes all dissent, they’ve created much bigger problems for themselves than citizen protests, as the Guardian lays out:
The power struggle inside Iran appears to be moving from the streets into the heart of the regime itself this weekend amid reports that Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani is plotting to undermine the power of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Rafsanjani’s manoeuvres against Khamenei come as tensions between the speaker of the parliament, Ali Larijani, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also appeared to be coming to a head.
One very disturbing development is that @persiankiwi has gone silent. Her/his tweets have been instrumental in this fight. Sullivan notices it as well. Nico Pitney has much more.
Another potentially history changing story comes from the Middle East in the voices of the women. It’s inspiring, but more importantly, it’s a potential crack in the dynamics, a new way forward if it’s supported and protected. Obviously, that’s a big if.
… “This is our time, women’s time,” said Khoulod Al Fahed, a Saudi businesswoman and blogger. “It is the time for women to speak up and demand the rights that have been stolen from us in the name of religion and culture.”
Middle Eastern women have long played active roles in the struggle for democracy and human rights. In recent months, women have won small yet unprecedented victories. In Kuwait, four female lawmakers were elected to parliament last month, the first time women have won seats in the nation’s legislature. In Egypt, election law was recently changed to give women a quota of 64 parliamentary seats. Palestinian women have launched protests to free prisoners held by Israel, while Egyptian women have organized labor and pro-democracy strikes in recent years.
Iran’s making the thugocracies sweat:
Out of fear that history might repeat itself, the authoritarian governments of China, Cuba and Burma have been selectively censoring the news this month of Iranian crowds braving government militias on the streets of Tehran to demand democratic reforms.
Between 1988 and 1990, amid a lesser global economic slump, pro-democracy protests that appeared to inspire and energize one another broke out in Eastern Europe, Burma, China and elsewhere. Not all evolved into full-fledged revolutions, but communist regimes fell in a broad swath of countries, and the global balance of power shifted.
Jose Maria Aznar weighs in very critically on Obama regarding Iran.
Delayed public displays of indignation may be good for internal political consumption. But the consequences of Western inaction have already materialized. Watching videos of innocent Iranians being brutalized, it’s hard to defend silence.
In Afghanistan, a new U.S. policy on opium.
At home, the climate bill inches forward, with a push from Pres. Obama, as well as this from Al Gore:
The American Clean Energy Security (ACES) Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress will ever pass. This comprehensive legislation will make meaningful reductions in global warming pollution, spur investment in clean energy technology, create jobs and reduce our reliance on foreign oil.
The next step is passage of this legislation by the Senate to help restore America’s leadership in the world and begin, at long last, to put in place a truly global solution to the climate crisis.
We are at an extraordinary moment, with an historic opportunity to confront one of the world’s most serious challenges. Our actions now will be remembered by this generation and all those to follow – in our own nation and others around the world.
CQ Politics has the party vote breakdown. Rep. Boehner was reduced to ineloquence.
Included in the news unfolding around the world is the drama of Michael Jackson’s death, which continues to play out. The doctor, who has retained counsel, which is prudent in a case like this, is getting some scrutiny.
With Jackson’s death Thursday at age 50, investigators have turned their attention to a new figure in his life, cardiologist Conrad Murray of Las Vegas, whom Jackson called his personal physician. Murray was in Jackson’s rented mansion at the time he collapsed from an apparent heart attack.
People can argue with each other about what news isn’t getting covered, but the truth is that many people care more about this story than anything else. The magnitude of MJ’s passing has rippled across the world, shocking many who just didn’t get what he meant to so many, but also the impact of his stratospheric talent, which is bringing a flood of sales to the Jackson estate.
In honor of Stonewall, Frank Rich has written a piece that I’ll let you judge for yourself. Rich long ago lost me.
UPDATE: Military coup in Honduras.
Comments are closed.