The wealth of moving, graphic images depicting Iran's 2009 presidential election, the protests that followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's declaration of victory, and the brutality of the government's response gave people around the world a street-level view that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. Cell phone cameras, satellite TV networks, and the Internet allowed us to instantly witness members of Iran's Basij militia beating and killing unarmed protesters, opposition leaders speaking out, and ordinary Iranians helping one another out.
But a quick zoom into close-up can be distorting; and likewise, the sudden proximity of the Iranian protest movement led to some distortions as well -- made worse, of course, by the deliberate efforts of the Iranian government. Looking back over the events of the last year, it's striking how much was misunderstood about the Green Movement -- and how much is still yet to be determined about its future.
ALI SAFARI/AFP/Getty Images
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