22 Bahman
It's just past noon in Iran and there have already been reports of clashes, and of an attack on Mehdi Karroubi, one of the opposition Presidential candidates in last year's election.
I'll be watching for news on Andrew Sullivan (his first live-blogging thread is here), NIAC, The Newest Deal, and Azarmehr.
Update (4:20 PM Oregon time): By means of an overwhelming display of force, the theocracy managed to prevent the uprising from dominating the streets, at least in Tehran (there were reports of fighting in several other cities, but few details). Of course, one lost battle does not mean a lost war. I'll give The Newest Deal the last word:
The crisis that the Islamic Republic has been facing for the last eight months will undoubtedly continue, with no resolution in sight. In fact, the idea that protests can be "put out" (as they were in 1999) seems to have all but vanished. Things have matured to such a point where simply preventing the Greens from delivering a devastating blow on days like today is all the government can hope for. Survival has become its modus operandi. The economy, conservative infighting, international sanctions, and indeed, continued protests from the opposition all loom in the weeks and months ahead. And while the Greens continue to ingeniously work on ways to better network and organize, the regime has only thought of installing loudspeakers on Tehran's streets to drown out cries of "death to the dictator." Make no mistake, this is not a battle that the regime is winning, irregardless of how poorly or successfully the day went.
Everyone knew that this would be a long struggle. And the struggle continues.
I'll be watching for news on Andrew Sullivan (his first live-blogging thread is here), NIAC, The Newest Deal, and Azarmehr.
Update (4:20 PM Oregon time): By means of an overwhelming display of force, the theocracy managed to prevent the uprising from dominating the streets, at least in Tehran (there were reports of fighting in several other cities, but few details). Of course, one lost battle does not mean a lost war. I'll give The Newest Deal the last word:
The crisis that the Islamic Republic has been facing for the last eight months will undoubtedly continue, with no resolution in sight. In fact, the idea that protests can be "put out" (as they were in 1999) seems to have all but vanished. Things have matured to such a point where simply preventing the Greens from delivering a devastating blow on days like today is all the government can hope for. Survival has become its modus operandi. The economy, conservative infighting, international sanctions, and indeed, continued protests from the opposition all loom in the weeks and months ahead. And while the Greens continue to ingeniously work on ways to better network and organize, the regime has only thought of installing loudspeakers on Tehran's streets to drown out cries of "death to the dictator." Make no mistake, this is not a battle that the regime is winning, irregardless of how poorly or successfully the day went.
Everyone knew that this would be a long struggle. And the struggle continues.
posted by Infidel753 at 12:49 AM
2 Comments:
This is one of those times I feel incredibly grateful for the internet and social networking. In spite of government controls on communications, the technology has advanced so much in recent years, and it is impossible to completely silence the dissent (especially of a population where roughly 60% of the population is under 30, the young folks are just better at these newfangled gadgets).
OnlyMehdi has some great information (and video) http://twitter.com/onlyMehdi He is a strong supporter of the Iranian people and a conduit of a great deal of communication, often better than mainstream media or even mainstream blogs.
Thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye on him.
I notice that YouTube videos and Twitter reports were still getting out yesterday, despite the theocracy's efforts.
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