News and Analysis (9/07/09)

“‘We think that about 15 percent of the polling sites never opened on Election Day,’ the senior Western diplomat said. ‘But they still managed to report thousands of ballots for Karzai’”:

• Fake Afghan Poll Sites Favored Karzai, Officials Assert (NY Times)

As Iranian leaders continue to fear protest and political unrest from the opposition…

• Iran Canceling Major Ramadan Events in Wake of Election Protests (Washington Post)

… They threaten a systematic crackdown on humanities studies they claim oppose Iranian values and Islamic culture, in what  amounts to “fascism and totalitarianism” in the eyes of the opposition…

• Iran Announces Plan to Purge Universities of Western Influences (LA Times)

… Meanwhile, Mousavi calls for  an investigation into the election, reform of election laws, restitution to victims of official violence, and lifting restrictions on independent news organizations:

• Iran’s Mousavi Urges Continued Civil Disobedience (LA Times)

Meshaal welcomed Obama’s “new tone” in dealing with peace talks and emphasizing the need for reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas as a necessity to democracy:

• Hamas Makes Case for Reconciliation (Al Jazeera)

With Ahmadinejad unwilling to compromise on the issue of uranium enrichment:

• Iran Sanctions Likely as Nuclear Talks Stall (Guardian)

Concerned about both lack of peer review and human rights violations, critics ask:

• How Effective are Terrorist Rehabilitation Programs? (Christian Science Monitor)

Imran

Minaret of Freedom Institute Program Assistant