Turning point in Iran

Of all the ways in which protests in Iran have made themselves heard over the last week, none of them has come more directly close to challenging the law than the ongoing defiance of the ban on demonstrations. Whilst Moussavi supporters make difficult choices about participating or not, it is clear that the line that separates protests from civil disobedience is being crossed. The power of the demonstrations is that a show of force against them may make the movement much stronger, at least in the long run. By drawing the government into a violent confrontation, opponents may, paradoxically, expose its weakness. This is why the government is so keen on banning foreign media: civil disobedience that is not seen or heard is civil disobedience whose impact is considerably blunted.