Syria Video: Today's "Day of National Legitimacy" Protests --- Set 2

Hama --- a coffin prepared for President Assad

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Syria Video: Today's "Day of National Legitimacy" Protests

Abu Kamal in the far east

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EA Cyber-Special: What is LulzSec? And Is It More than a Bit of LOL and Mischief? (Dunne)

LulzSec's "Pierre DuBois"LulzSec --- the mischievous internet group responsible for infiltrating servers at Sony, Sega and the International Monetary, as well as disabling Government websites on both sides of the Atlantic --- has expanded its operation, codenamed AntiSec, to South America. Early on Wednesday, the group claimed to have disabled two websites of the Brazilian Government, Portal Brazil and the site of President Dilma Vana Rousseff.

The group maintains it is acting simply "for the Lulz", a play on "LOL", getting amusement from random digital anarchy. Fridays become "FF", the designated day of the week for dissemination of stolen material.

But is there a significance beyond mischief and laughs?

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Syria Feature: Regime Threatened by Economic Crisis? (Shadid)

Street Scene in HomsHotels that catered to sandal-wearing backpackers in the storied Syrian city of Aleppo stand empty. Capital from the Persian Gulf that underpinned Syrian ambitions of modernization has begun to dry up. The Syrian pound has faltered, exports have fallen and the government has promised respite with money it will not have for long.

In his first address to Syrians in two months, President Bashar al-Assad warned this week of “the collapse of the Syrian economy.” The words might have been hyperbole, aimed at rallying support for a leadership staggering from a three-month uprising. But the sentiments underlined the danger the economy there poses for a government that long promised its people better lives, even as it refused to surrender any real political power.

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Iran Cartoon of the Day: The Victory of the Hunger Strikers (Kowsar)

Nikahang Kowsar, drawing for Rooz Online, depicts the 12 political prisoners in Evin Prison who began their hunger strike last Saturday:

See also Iran Feature: "One Voice" Campaign for 12 Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike

Bahrain Snapshot: The 21 Prison Sentences and the Regime's Strategy (Desmukh)

If the government did have evidence to prove its claims, you can be sure that it would have already been broadcast on Bahrain's state TV network during the televised witch trials that take place every night in parallel to the one in court.

So why have these individuals been specifically targeted and not some other opposition leaders? From the regime's point of view, these individuals pose far more of a threat than the mainstream Shiite opposition group al-Wefaq, which held 18 of 40 seats in the lower house of parliament, prior to resigning in protest in February.

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The Latest from Iran (23 June): Welcome to Phase Zero

2045 GMT: Elections Watch. Yesterday, we reported the rumour that the Supreme Leader's representative to the Revolutionary Guards, Mojtaba Zolnour, is resigning to run for Parliament next March. Khabar Online continues the story with the claim that pro-Ahmadinejad officials such as Deputy Minister of Defense Javad Darvishvand, Hojatoleslam Mohammad Reza Mirtajoddini, and Ali Shahidi are leaving position to campaign for the Majlis.

2025 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Sharif University student activist Tara Sepehri has been sentenced to seven years in prison and 74 lashes.

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Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Shutting Away the Activists for Life

2145 GMT: Claimed footage of a protest in Idlib Province in northwest Syria today:

2015 GMT: The video of Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's speech promoting a "national dialogue":

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Obama and Afghanistan: Scott Lucas on the BBC "A Cynic's View"

I chatted this morning with BBC Radio WM about President Obama's speech on Afghanistan, putting forth some of the points I later posted in an EA analysis.

The discussion begins at the 1:09.55 mark.

See also 4-Point Guide to Obama and Afghanistan: "This is Not a Withdrawal, It is a Limit to Escalation"

Afghanistan Video and Transcript: Obama Announces "Withdrawal" of US Troops

Afghanistan Video and Transcript: Obama Announces "Withdrawal" of US Troops

OBAMA: Good evening. Nearly ten years ago, America suffered the worst attack on our shores since Pearl Harbor. This mass murder was planned by Usama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network in Afghanistan, and signaled a new threat to our security – one in which the targets were no longer soldiers on a battlefield, but innocent men, women and children going about their daily lives.

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