But, for now, Tahrir and other squares are once again uniting the pro change forces, whether Islamist or not. The key challenge for Egyptian revolutionaries is to sustain that unity, establish a leadership coalition, translate their chants into concrete demands, and maintain the pressure during implementation.

With this single error, he has undermined what had appeared to be a robust post revolutionary course for the first and only theocracy in modern history. The cries of God is Great! have now been overtaken by chants of Death to the Dictator! in recent demonstrations in Tehran, Tabriz, Shiraz, and other Iranian cities.

In a football match, the rituals the flag waving, the national anthems, the collective chants and the language that is employed (the match starts with a breakout of hostilities, one bombs the goal, blows up the defense, launches missile ) reinforce the perception of war by other means. And, in fact, real war has actually broken out over football.

Another casualty was the legitimacy of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. For two decades, Khamenei deceptively cultivated an image of an impartial and magnanimous guide, but his defiant public support for Ahmadinejad exposed him as a petty, partisan autocrat. Among the unprecedented slogans of last summer s street protests were thunderous chants of Khamenei is a murderer, his leadership is void!

Another casualty was the legitimacy of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. For two decades, Khamenei deceptively cultivated an image of an impartial and magnanimous guide, but his defiant public support for Ahmadinejad exposed him as a petty, partisan autocrat. Among the unprecedented slogans of last summer s street protests were thunderous chants of Khamenei is a murderer, his leadership is void!

Khamenei s backing of the June 2009 putsch now appears to be a costly mistake. With this single error, he has undermined what had appeared to be a robust post revolutionary course for the first and only theocracy in modern history. The cries of God is Great! have now been overtaken by chants of Death to the Dictator! in recent demonstrations in Tehran, Tabriz, Shiraz, and other Iranian cities.