Iran Analysis: Can the Opposition Challenge the Regime? (Eshraghi v. Lucas)

Eshraghi: "As people cast around for the root cause of Iran's woes, no one is offering a convincing solution. Opposition activity is confined to reacting post factum to what the regime does."

Lucas: "The public revival through the marches is merely the sign that the opposition is still alive. The challenge will be to turn that into plans and objectives for change. That is a daunting challenge, but --- contrary to Esraghi's wayward pronouncement, 'Opposition activity is confined...to what the regime does' --- it is being pursued."

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Beyond The Arizona Shootings: The Real Danger of Divisive, Vitriolic Politics (Miller)

Cartoon: R.J. Matson (St Louis Post-Dispatch)In this important dialogue about the decency of our politics, an important point may be missed. The heated rhetoric, the hate speech, the shock-jocks, and the vitriolic politicians, have already claimed a prominent victim.

The truth.

The Greek dramatist Aeschylus wrote that the first casualty of war is truth, and if politics is war "by other means",  in the last decade it has moved from a chivalric duel to a scorched-earth campaign.

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Iran Feature: The Battle Within and The Protests Are Still The Stories (Miller)

Western audiences, and especially Americans, don't like complicated, sad stories.  We like good guys and bad guys, cowboys and Indians, terrorists and allies.  We don't like to hear that 40-60% of the population of a country that we view as an enemy might very well be a friend.  We don't like to hear that the government we are negotiating with is illegitimate, or weak.  We also don't like to follow the slow development of an opposition movement that we can do little to help.  We like sexy stories like weapons of mass destruction or revolution, and we certainly like clarity.

Unfortunately, as long as we're not paying attention, we're also not helping, and until the media starts to cover these stories, many more people may die before things improve in Iran.

(Photograph by Munzz)

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Iran Special: Covering Ahmadinejad's Speech at the United Nations

James Miller of Dissected News joins EA WorldView today, travelling to New York to take in the atmosphere at the United Nations as President Ahmadinejad addresses the General Assembly. We'll be alongside, providing updates on the President's speech:

2055 GMT: A quick response from the US delegation to the UN: "Rather than representing the aspirations and goodwill of the Iranian people, Mr. Ahmadinejad has yet again chosen to spout vile conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic slurs that are as abhorrent and delusional as they are predictable." [Scott Lucas]

2014 GMT: And this time, that is it.

2013 GMT: OK, once more. God has promised the world to the pure and righteous: "all those seeking justice and all the free spirits have been awaiting this moment". True believers of Islam and of Jesus Christ anticipate this justice and "the truth of humanity".

2011 GMT: Ahmadinejad moves to general invocations of the divine, of purity, and of love.

That seems a nice point to end on, but no, he's still going, back to the not-so-nice "domineering" and injustices. I really feel like I'm being taken in circles now.

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