Iran Elections Crisis: Online Reading List

I asked Cyrus Farivar, an Iranian-American journalist and the author of the forthcoming book "The Internet of Elsewhere," about the history and effects of the Internet in four countries around the world -- including Iran -- to send us some of his favorite English-language links on the topic of the turmoil in Iran.

He kindly obliged. As Jon Stewart aptly lampooned on last night's Daily Show, cable news networks seem to be having a grand time pointing to random Facebook and MySpace status updates, for lack of better understanding of Iranian online culture. Do yourself a favor, try the list Cyrus compiled, instead.

• [Thebes]

  Thank you for this list, it seems somewhat more well rounded than previous posts on the Iranian election fiasco. Its very nice to see what I consider some quality links to reporting “on the ground” in Iran.

  However, that said, the quality of some of the links is, IMHO, suspect. One site is run by a Neo-Con think tank. Two of the four twitter accounts were created only after the election and a third only immediately prior to it. Still there are also some good resources and I feel better informed for them.

  Also, this list links to a site** that seems to incite “cyber-warfare”. I believe that for a US Citizen to participate in an unsanctioned act of warfare* launched from US soil is a Federal Crime- in particular such law has been used against US mercenaries acting on behalf of foreign interests. Unlikely to be prosecuted due to the particular politics of this situation, but still one of the links incites or at least advocates criminal activity.

  *(if there is actually war within the cyber realm, which the DOD has indeed indicated there is)

  ** it seems that this site’s hosting has now been suspended

• [Space Toast]

  3 Quarks Daily has been consistently posting good links on Iran’s election termoil as well: http://3quarksdaily.blogs.com

• [nerak]

  Andrew Sullivan has been going non-stop too over at The Atlantic. He’s been compiling tweets and various articles/blogs/posts with different views on what’s going on.

  thanks Xeni!

• [Takuan]

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/13/iran-demonstrations-viole_n_215189.html

• [Takuan]

  a day of mourning
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8106292.stm

• [zikzak]

  Are there LOLahmadinejads?

  • [Antinous / Moderator]

    He used to incessantly wear something like a Members Only jacket, which was eventually christened the ahmadinejacket. That’s heading into LOL territory.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6528881.stm

• [Takuan]

  http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Z4wP5A80j-k/Shbx04JyNZI/AAAAAAAACu4/OW-KGNfMiOk/s800/090521_ahmadinejad_bigger.jpg

• [Takuan]

  http://punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/political-pictures-mahmoud-ahmadinejad-shark-lasers.jpg

• [Takuan]

  http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Z4wP5A80j-k/ShrEuYqimwI/AAAAAAAACwo/Z9Y8pfJm0TQ/s800/Ahmadinejad_cake_face.jpg

• [ktremills]

  This is a great list. Thank you. The Washington Post has been doing some interesting blogs as well: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/06/15/white_houses_online_silence_on.html.

  I’m fascinated by the use of blogs, Twitter, and SMS messaging for mobilization in the Iranian protests. I actually wrote an infographic video about Iranian bloggers last year (that was on BoingBoing) and have posted a blog about it here: http://www.scriptgrrl.com/blog.

• [Anonymous]

  A big thanks to our big brother Russia! I would like to see all the contracts that Ahmadinejad signed with them. Free gas, free oranium for the next 200 years!?What else? Are we as people allowed to represent ourselves in an international court and defend our rights, our country, our wealth? Being a colony of Russia and China, I see a definitively ruined Iran. Too bad for such people and such country to be a ruin for the sake of a servant of Russia…. Unless, someone kills Khamenei tonight, we will not see freedom any time soon… and we all better outside of Iran!

• [Anonymous]

  Thanks Xeni. This kind of informed insight is exactly what we all need right now.

• [Anonymous]

  One more:
  “Defense Department sees protests as terrorism”
  http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2009/06/10/defense-department-sees-protests-as-terrorism/

• [Takuan]

  http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/20520

• [Xeni Jardin]

  I prefer to get my Iran news from AdultFriendFinder and icanhazcheezburger, but WHATEVER.

  • [Antinous / Moderator]

    Weird. I get sex tips from icanhascheezburger and gardening advice from AdultFriendFinder.

• [Ito Kagehisa]

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8051750.stm

  http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KF16Ak05.html

  http://www.casavaria.com/cafesentido/2009/06/17/3052/rafsanjani-calls-for-emergency-meeting-of-assembly-of-experts/

• [Takuan]

  well, that is most distressing, I checked and there are NO Iran Lolcats!

• [mr.skeleton]

  You can watch a daily compendium of Middle Eastern news at http://www.linktv.org/mosaic