What Solidarity Color Does Afghan Election Fraud Get?

After the Iranian elections in which Mahmoud Ahmedinejad won pretty soundly, a green-tinted virtual grassroots campaign in the United States emerged to discredit the election as fraudulent.

Many rightfully expressed solidarity with Iran’s protesters and were horrified by the government’s ensuing repression, which included killing and jailing dissidents and arresting and deporting journalists.

Little did it matter to the righteous and angered Americans that their government three decades ago had allied with and bolstered a violent and brutal dictator, the Shah, and have declared Iran an enemy since then.

There was little consideration for the necessary timing of reapproachment between the two countries, perhaps requiring a delicate and nuanced outlook towards a country that does not insist on its democratic virtues as the primary basis of its identity. But, no, such concerns matter little at the chance to express anger and resentment over election fraud.

Afghan Elections as a Symbolic Battle

Afghan authorities have been pushing local media to black out the incidents of violence taking place in the lead up to the national elections. They asked foreign media not to report on anti-election attacks, as well. Media workers have not acquiesced, refusing government requests.

While I oppose media censorship, the failure of the Afghan government to regulate media represents its more general incapacity for governance.

Institution-building during war is impossible, which is why these elections seem more like a symbolic battle, rather than a true exercise in governance.

Iranians Stay Strong

Despite the promised crackdown by government forces, thousands of Iranians continue their daily descent into the streets.

It isn’t over. Even if the violence subsides, there are long lasting reverberations making their way through the halls of power.

These are some of the most interesting events in recent memory.

Tough Talk in Iran

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a rare and important speech on Friday.

Events over the following days will be crucial. Mousavi has called for a huge rally on Saturday. Turnout could be decisive in determining how the rest of the story unfolds.

The world is watching…

Sizing Up the Iranian Elections

Iran is experiencing its most serious civil strife in decades. At least one person has already been killed.

The election results remind us that the will of the people is not the deciding force in politics there. Whether or not Mousavi had the election stolen from him is not relevant.

He is no savior himself…

KABOBfest Claims Victory in Iranian Elections

Since Iran’s two major candidates are both claiming victory in Iran’s presidential elections, we figured we may as well join in and declare ourselves a winner. We rock.

We were not formally permitted a place on the ballot by the Supreme Religious Council (citing Programmer Buydatti’s lewd posts). However, we did get some pretty important endorsements from the council’s head honcho.

Sizing Up the Lebanese Elections

This picture encapsulates the spirit of the recently concluded Lebanese elections… and it has nothing to do with the results that likely set the circumstances for its publication. The newspaper behind the photo claims it shows an actual ballot used by an angry voter. Khara 3alaykum wa 3ala hal entikhabat. Jumhuriyat moz. Mowaten adami. Most [...]

Iran Saves Face(book)

Iran’s Facebook candidate, MirHossein Mousavi, must be relieved that an Iranian censorship committee decided to unblock the social networking site. It is likely the government folded after Sana’s devastatingly ambiguous critique of the Faceblockage. Now millions of Iranians can return to wasting time at work and cyber-stalking people they meet. And as Sana points out, [...]

War on Words

A few items for your weekend blood pressure, in case it’s currently low: Pro-Israel, Neo-Con Magazine: Let’s Kill Some Journalists! Israeli-American fascism is alive and well. The Likudnik Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), which has boasted supporters such as Dick Cheney, John Bolton, Douglas Feith and Richard Perle, ran an article suggesting that [...]

Previewing Lebanon’s Parliamentary Elections

Joe Biden spent seven hours in Beirut on Friday, the highest ranking US official to visit Lebanon in over 25 years. The timing of his stopover was no coincidence. Two weeks from Sunday, Lebanese citizens will head to the polls in a milestone parliamentary election. They will vote for local representatives, choosing from pre-made lists [...]