Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Morsi Defies Protesters and Warns "Infiltrators"

The protest in front of the Presidential Palace tonight

See also Syria Live Coverage: Is This the End for Assad?
Thursday's Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protests and Fighting at the Presidential Palace

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See also Syria Live Coverage: Is This the End for Assad?
Thursday's Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protests and Fighting at the Presidential Palace

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2125 GMT: Egypt. Hundreds or anti-Morsi demonstrators in Alexandria reportedly ransacked the Governorate’s headquarters, protesting the killing of protesters by "armed militias affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood".

Minutes later, a group of men wielding firearms and bladed weapons chased the demonstrators out of the building.

The headquarters of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party in Zagazig was raided by protesters amid clashes in the city, including in front of President Morsi's house.

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Syria Audio Feature: Why US and Russia Suddenly Met Thursday --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

See also Syria Opinion: "The US Must Act Soon" --- James Miller in The American Prospect

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I spoke with Monocle 24's Midori House last night about the sudden meeting between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 

The immediate topic --- whether the US and Russia were pushed to confer because of Syria's chemical weapons --- was soon accompanied by other considerations, such as the possibility of a de facto "protected zone" for insurgent-held territory and Moscow's stepping away from the Assad regime.

The discussion, which starts with comments by Geoff Dyer of the Financial Times, begins at the 5:49 mark. My contribution starts at 10:13.

Syria Opinion: "The US Must Act Soon" --- James Miller in The American Prospect

Map showing proximity of a Baath Party headquarters, seized by insurgents on Thursday, and a regime base suspected of holding chemical weapons

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With the insurgents on the advance, and the international community ratcheting up pressure on the Assad regime, time is running out to find ways to end the crisis quickly and with as little bloodshed and instability as possible.

What are the options? A partial no-fly zone, a larger no-fly zone, or a military bluff are among them. But this is the overriding point: if the US does decide to act, it best do so soon.

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The Latest from Iran (6 December): "We're Still Winning"

See also Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- Criticising the Supreme Leader and Much More
The Latest from Iran (5 December): The Victory of Nasrin Sotoudeh's Hunger Strike

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1945 GMT: Mis-Analysis of the Day. Richard Javad Heydarian, writing for LobeLog, echoes the regime line that Tehran, defiantly withstanding sanctions, is in a stronger position to negotiate with Washington:

It is Iran’s relative resilience --- and ability to avoid a total collapse --- that may explain its willingness to explore direct talks with Washington. Tehran feels that it has enough wiggle room to avoid total unilateral concessions and negotiate a more mutually-favorable, face-saving outcome ---perhaps, before it’s tool [sic] late.

Leave aside the indications that the Islamic Republic is now stepping away from bilateral discussions with the US (see 1205 GMT). Heydarian's economic case for resilience is a case study in missing and mis-reading evidence.

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Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- Criticising the Supreme Leader and Much More (Arseh Sevom)

Mohammad Maleki and Nasrin SotoudehAll over the world, people who care about the fate of detained lawyerNasrin Sotoudeh breathed a collective sigh of relief as word came in that her demands had been met and that she had ended her 49-day hunger strike.

Dr. Mohammad Maleki wrote a powerful letter criticizing Iran’s Supreme Leader. The chief of the cybercrimes unit was sacked in the fallout of the investigation of the death of blogger Sattar Beheshti, and the Cyrus Cylinder travels to the US. HIV seems to be on the rise in Iran while nurses flee the country seeking better working conditions elsewhere. The UN has condemned Iran’s human rights abuses, demonstrators in Paris call attention to Iranian women who have been denied their rights, and German banks move to make transactions for humanitarian items such as medicine possible.

Forced hijab comes with instruction now, there are reports that the death sentence against web programmer Saeed Malekpour has been lifted, and Asghar Farhadi is named as one of Foreign Policy’s Global Thinkers.

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Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protests and Fighting at the Presidential Palace

Supporters of President Morsi clash with his opponents near the Presidential Palace on Wednesday

See also Palestine Analysis: What Did Mahmoud Abbas Win for Palestinians --- and for Himself --- at the United Nations?

Wednesday's Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Protests Surge, But What Next?

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2125 GMT: Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood says its headquarters in the Mokkatam section of Cairo, is on fire, with hundreds of protesters surrounding the building.

Journalist Reem Abdellatif sends a picture of demonstrators in Alexandria, "Oh God, Morsi and his clan must leave":

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US Politics Analysis: Trotsky's Icepick and the Fight within the Republican Party

House Speaker John Boehner speaks on Wednesday about the "fiscal cliff" negotiations

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The murder of Leon Trotsky at Stalin's behest in Mexico in 1940 --- with an icepick that made his ears burn --- has become synonymous with the tendency of supporters of the same political ideology to act more as enemies than friends. The history of Communist movements worldwide, and in the US, is rife with infighting and intrigue, splits and divisions.

Trotsky's Icepick has now reached the conservative movement in the US. The immediate sign is the division over how Republicans should approach the "fiscal cliff" negotiations, but there are also internal recriminations about how and why Mitt Romney managed to lose a winnable Presidential election.

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Palestine Analysis: What Did Mahmoud Abbas Win for Palestinians --- and for Himself --- at the United Nations?

Mahmoud Abbas' speech at the United Nations General Assembly, 29 November 2012

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Will the UN vote become more than symbol, setting in motion a chain of events for substantive political and economic change, just as the Declaration of Independence led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority? Or will this another Palestine Independence Day that looks embarrassing in its optimism in years to come?

The possibilities are still too close to call. But Mahmoud Abbas has won one victory, which defies all Israeli and Western criticism that he has engaged in unnecessary posturing --- he has insisted on his political relevance for another day.

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The Latest from Iran (5 December): The Victory of Nasrin Sotoudeh's Hunger Strike

Nasrin Sotoudeh1903 GMT: Drone Watch. The US military has backed away from its earlier denial that none of its drones could have been downed by Iran.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said the drone displayed by the Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday appeared to be a U.S.-made ScanEagle. He said it could not be determined if the drone was operated by the US.

Commenting on Tehran's claims that it extracted valuable data from the ScanEagle, reportedly captured in the Persian Gulf, Little said it was “highly improbable” that useful intelligence could be gained from the relatively unsophisticated drone.

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Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Protests Surge, But What Next?

2204 GMT: Syria. The FSA has now been in control of parts of Syria for many months, and with each passing week they become more like a government. The Free syrian Army has now been documented giving out aid, delivering medial supplies, and setting up their own police forces. Now, they have been documented stamping passports on the border with Turkey, and attempting to establish law and order in Aleppo:

one FSA unit we saw in #aleppo old city was recording names&car plates&only allowing those who have shops/homes through 2 prevent robberies

— Arwa Damon (@arwaCNN) December 5, 2012

2142 GMT: Syria. Another incredible video from Syria shows the Assad airforce using a completely inappropriate weapon against the Syrian people. The Aviationist has posted video of a Mig-23BN dropping a thermobaric weapon on Darayya, just west of Damascus:

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