TODAY IN TAP ONLINE. Tehran-based reporter Iason Athanasiadis writes about how Iranian reform activists -- especially those who agitate for women's rights -- are perceived as "Trojan horses" of Western influence, and so are loathe to accept the assistance of human-rights advocacy groups -- even as those groups are able to secure shorter sentences and better conditions for political prisoners. For their part, the Western NGOs don't want to be too vocal about decrying Iranian rights abuses, lest their calls for reform be misconstrued as support for "regime change." Plus:
- Addie Stan fills us in on Pope Benedict's visit to Brazil -- and his icy relationship with Lula.
- Steven Benen notices that whenever Bush finds himself in a situation that's too difficult to handle, he "solves" it by appointing a new czar.
- Onnesha Roychoudhuri sits down for a chat with the Italian journalists who wrote a new book about the forged intelligence on Iraq purchasing yellowcake from Niger. (Also check out Laura Rozen's piece on this subject, from the March 2006 print issue, "The Italian Job.")
And, once again, if you're having any problems with the new site -- or just want to tell us how much you love it -- you can post to the comment thread on this letter from the editors. --The Editors
