They’re risking their lives. We’re debating utes. You’d think that, in local discussions of Iran, a certain humility would prevail. But not so for Janet Albrechtsen, writes Jeff Sparrow.
Iran election
Crikey Clarifier: How are Iran’s political leaders different?
What are the key differences between the policies of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi? Dr Sally Totman has the answers.
Pundits weigh in on Iran’s diverging story
The Iran election story has diverged into many different strands, from President Obama condemning the post-poll violence in Tehran to fresh enmity between Britain and the Islamic nation.
Mousavi not the agitator rebels had hoped
Mir Hossein Mousavi is still nominally the guiding force of the fury over Iran’s disputed election. But there are ample signs his rebel stature is being eroded, writes Brian Murphy.
The role of women in Iran
Sounds counter-intuitive but in Iran “women have had a much more vibrant, participatory role” than elsewhere in the region. “Zahra Rahnavard, who is the wife of Mousavi, campaigned with her husband – a completely unusual experience”, says Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s Chief International Correspondent.
VIDEO: Diplomatic and media ties strained in Iran
Two British diplomats have been expelled from Iran, and the BBC (along with other Western news sources) is much maligned in the Iranian press — they are now banned from reporting in the streets.
The marathon ahead for Iran
What happens next is almost as opaque as the elections that caused all the trouble. But the deep divisions that have shattered Iranian society will dictate events for the foreseeable future, writes Peter Goodspeed.
What the Arab media is (and isn’t) saying about Iran
While the Western media devours and obsesses over every tiny morsel of news that comes out of Iran, much of the Arab world is taking a far more cautious approach in its reporting.
What Iran can learn from Iraq
Iran’s Shiite clerics could be well served to take a page out of Iraq’s Ayatollah Ali Sistani’s book, who has shown that religion can play an influential, but background, role in a secular democracy.
Obama gets tough on Iran
President Obama has “ratcheted up his rhetoric” on Iran, strongly denounced the government crackdown on post-election protesters in a press conference yesterday.
Obama goes Goldilocks on Iran
Obama has pulled out another “Goldilocks” performance in his press conference on Iran — not too hot to inflame sentiment overseas, and not too cold to seem apathetic or indecisive at home. It’s a strategy his critics dislike, but one that continues to work for the President.
Obama walks a tightrope on Iran
Benjamin Sarlin examines the uber-cautious rhetoric employed by the White House on Iran.
Obama weak-willed on Iran
Instead of denouncing the fake election, President Obama now tells Iranians who are dying for the real thing “the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Whose sovereignty is that? asks Anne Bayefsky.
Mousavi’s no angel — don’t forget his bloody past
Before we go too far down the road cheering the forces of Iranian democracy, let’s not forget that its public face, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, has American blood on his hands, writes Robert Baer.
Iran charging $3000 “bullet fee”
The family of a 19-year-old boy killed by Iranian security forces during post-election riots say they had to pay a $3000 “bullet fee” to get his body back.
Inside a rigged election
Election irregularities are a matter of degree. There is no such thing as a perfectly-run election. But in Iran, there were a lot of irregularities.
Guy Rundle: The neocon project is nearly dead
Will the unity of a reactionary old guard survive the current protests in Iran?
Iran’s tensions foreshadowed at the movies
In the 1990s, Iran’s historically rich movie culture, largely dormant during the Islamic revolution and the long war with Iraq, was rejuvenated, writes A O Scott.
Iran’s Supreme Leader: from reformer to provocateur
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameni has shown himself to be moderate and flexible. So his provocative backing of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is out of character. Meir Javedanfar asks why.
Discrepancies might affect 3 million Iranian votes
The number of votes cast in 50 cities exceeded the actual number of voters, state television has reported
Why Israel prefers Ahmadinejad
Even though Ahmadinejad has threatened Israel with destruction, many officials and analysts there actually prefer him to Mousavi, because they believe he is be easier to isolate from the international community.
Interview with Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Foreign Policy speaks to Mi- Hossein Mousavi’s external spokesman, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, about why Mousavi is the “Obama of Iran”.
Video, not just Twitter, defines Iranian election fallout
There’s a lot video content coming out of Iran and, like Twitter, it can be overwhelming. Crikey intern Bhakthi Puvanenthiran selects the ones worth watching.
Google Translate gets Farsi thanks to Iran crisis
Google has added Farsi to the list of languages Google Translate can convert automatically to English. It was already in the pipeworks, but given the current situation, Google rushed its release.
Commentary / Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Obama’s failure to use his power and position to give the Iranian people as much support as possible is morally reprehensible and a strategical blunder for which he will not be forgiven, says Joshua Muravchik.