Nico: Evidence Mounts That the Iranian Vote Was Rigged

Nico's latest liveblogging has mounting evidence that the vote was rigged. 

All of this presents an interesting challenge for how other nations will now interact with the current government.   As Roger Cohen wrote in the NY Times this morning, the current regime's legitimacy is more than in question now.

What a sea change for Iran, and for the region.  Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, and now Iran all having meaningful elections.  Afghanistan has just begun its new round of elections.  Even Palestine's recent election was consequential.  While too much can be read it into it, nonethless, this simple idea - that the people must have their say - is making a powerful apperance now in the Middle East where political freedom has been a rare thing indeed.

I have to say that I have been incredibly inspired by the courage of the people of Iran over the past week, and have been deeply moved by their valiant efforts to bring their story to the people of the world.   These images and stories are being seen by all of us throughout the world, but perhaps no more so than its youth, who are the majority of the people of the world today.  Fully 53% of the world's population is under thirty today, and this uprising is becoming an important milestone in the political education of those will come to power in the years ahead.