Iran Men's Fashion Video Special: "Are These Shorts Getting You in the Mahmoud?"

Noted American political commentator Stephen Colbert takes a stand against Iran's new order for the "morality police", cracking down on inappropriate fashion such as shorts and men's necklaces. He even has a fashion suggestion for the Supreme Leader: "The Ayatollah might be a lot less angry if he got some air down there."

Once you have decided whose legs are better --- Colbert's or Khameini's? --- then Arshama3's Blog works with an EA feature from July 2010 to give you the wider context: proper politics comes not only from proper clothing but from proper haircuts....

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Syria, Yemen (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Defiance and "Reforms"

1620 GMT: Claimed footage of a demonstration in Homs in Syria today:

See also Syria Video Special: The Latest from Friday's Protests

1510 GMT: Bahrain's Minister of Justice has said it has "taken the necessary legal procedures in order to lift the ban" on the Wa'ad Party after the opposition group "expressed keenness to promote security, stability, and national unity and take part in the comprehensive National Consensus Dialogue due to start on July 1".

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The Latest from Iran (18 June): An Economic Squeeze?

1520 GMT: Allah and Politics. Mehr claims a newly-appointed governor in Sari Province in northern Iran has been dismissed after officials asked for guidance from God through divination.

The Ministry of Interior had appointed Ali Babaei Karnami as late last month but he was dismissed Tuesday as a formal inauguration was being organised.

“Since divination showed a bad result, we preferred to look for another choice,” current Governor Ali Akbar Tahaei said.

Tahaei said he had named a replacement and added, "Karnami should not be irritated for not taking up the post because I’ll need him to serve at a provincial municipality posting.”

Supporters of the Supreme Leader and of President Ahmadinejad clashed earlier this month over the appointment of a governor for Fars Province.

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Iran Document: Regime's Broadcaster Blames Itself for Post-Election Protest (ICHRI)

The report says that the “premature announcement of election results, prior to preparing public opinion, was a mistake in the national media’s news coverage...considering voting hours ended at 22:00 on the night of 12 June, and the initial results (announcing [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad’s victory) were reported (after counting 61% of the votes) at 2:47 a.m. the next day .”

The report finds that “announcing election results with such speed was almost unprecedented". The report implicitly blames the IRIB’s performance during the vote count, as one of the factors contributing to widespread street protest.

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US Opinion: Dumpster-Diving Politics --- Why Do Liberals Hate Sarah Palin?

Sarah Palin and Michele BachmannHow are the media going to try and damage the chances of another conservative women at becoming president, especially if Sarah Palin gives her backing to Michele Bachmann? There is little doubt left that a liberal media bias has scuppered a Palin presidency. In that they may have done America, and the world, a favour. But to repeat that treatment on another woman, whose personal life is as far removed from the sleazy conduct of an Anthony Weiner or an Bill Clinton as can be imagined, could raise some disturbing questions not just about the values of American journalism but about American liberalism as well.

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Syria, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Standing Down

View LccSy: Syria Protests June 17, 2011 ‎ in a larger map Activists records a map of today's protests in Syria.

See also Syria Video Special: The Latest from Friday's Protests

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1655 GMT: Anthony Shadid summarises for The New York Times:

Tens of thousands of protesters poured into the streets of Damascus’s suburbs and three of Syria’s five largest cities on Friday, in a weekly show of defiance against President Bashar al-Assad. Activists said at least 19 people were killed.

Security forces fired on protesters in Homs, one of Syria most restive locales, and the police and protesters fought in Deir al-Zour, a large city in the east. But thousands were permitted to demonstrate in Kiswa, a town south of Damascus and carry banners that read, “Leave!” and “The people want the fall of the regime.”

Some opposition figures had speculated that the government might try to bring down the weekly death toll, which surged past 100 on one Friday, in anticipation of a speech Mr. Assad is expected to give as early as Sunday. Syrian officials have portrayed the address as significant, though many in the opposition said their expectations were low.

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The Latest from Iran (17 June): Sometimes Numbers Speak Better than Words

1740 GMT: Oil Watch. Emad Hosseini, the spokesman of Parliament's Oil Committee, has said that Iran's oil industry is "ten years behind our partners, meaning Qatar". He continued, "Contrary to promises made, producing natural gas from the 15th and 18th phases of the South Pars oil and gas field is not possible [until March 2012]. Unstable management of the Oil Ministry and appointment of non-experts have had negative impact on the joint South Pars [oil and gas] field as well."

1735 GMT: Economy Watch. Earlier this week, President Ahmadinejad assured the Iranian community in Kazakhstan, "No one is in need of his daily bread in Iran."

Shafaf News, seen as supportive of the Supreme Leader, has a sharp reply: "Mr. President, have you seen these pictures?"

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Syria Video Special: The Latest from Friday's Protests

Rally with giant flag in Hama:

Homs, Syria's third city:

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Jordan Feature: The King Speaks, But Will There Be Reform? (Tarawnah)

This was a very interesting video to watch. It is perhaps the first time I have heard the King speak to a local audience about a “national vision” (which in Jordan translates to “royal vision”) that states the end goal as being an elected government. All the magic words are reiterated. Democracy. Dialog. Constitution. Freedom. Reform. Combating corruption. Media. Institutions.

We have been given royal visions before. This is obviously no secret. In fact, these visions are very public. Never have I personally heard that vision to include an elected government, so in some way, it is important to have this on the record. If anything than for the sake of being able to tell others “see, I told you so”, as it seems many are convinced that the King does not support giving up his political powers for an elected government. What this speech, and others that have been given by the King in recent weeks seem to outline is the dawn of a new Jordan. They are designed to breathe hope into a decaying political and social arena.

But then comes the quintessential question: will any of this be realized?

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US and Middle East Special: Dangerous Academics --- The Bush Administration's Campaign Against Juan Cole

As we moved from our first on-line analyses to Libertas to Enduring America to EA WorldView, Professor Juan Cole was an inspiration for us. Almost a decade ago, he established in his blog Informed Comment how an academic could move from scholarship to daily reportage and commentary, providing a critique of the news and those --- Governments, journalists, interest groups --- who were trying to shape it. 

At the same time, I had more than a passing interest in how the Bush Administration was trying to shut down dissent before and after the 2003 Iraq War, from its propaganda to its manipulation of "intelligence" to pressure upon critics. Cole was one of those critics, tarred as a defender of Saddam Hussein.

All this came together yesterday, with the revelation in The New York Times:

Glenn L. Carle, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer who was a top counterterrorism official during the administration of President George W. Bush, said the White House at least twice asked intelligence officials to gather sensitive information on Juan Cole, a University of Michigan professor who writes an influential blog that criticized the war.

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