Isobel Coleman reflects on this year's protests in Iran:
Both Mousavi and Karroubi are under house arrest. They and their wives have been held since February, without any charge or trial, after calling for protests in solidarity with the Arab Spring. The Coordination Council of the Green Path of Hope, the Green Movement’s decision-making body, invited Iranians to participate in a “silent march” through the heart of Tehran on Sunday. Thousands braved their way into the streets, walking quietly and wearing green scarves with their hands and faces painted green, some with photos of Mousavi pinned to their clothes. But far fewer than the million people the Green Movement had hoped for appeared. Still, the government took no chances. It lined the streets with security forces that in many spots seemed considerably to outnumber the silent marchers.
A Tehran Bureau correspondent describes the newer tactics of the regime:
In some ways, the fact that the demonstration happened at all illustrated the resilience of core opposition supporters. Aside from their high numbers, security forces have become increasingly skilled at surveillance and repression. Equipped with new, top-end gear, they have been trained to disperse crowds and avoid escalation of open violence. As lines of riot police partitioned the main thoroughfare from its adjoining neighborhoods, plainclothesmen combed through the crowd and pulled protesters into the side streets, where they could arrest them more discreetly.
The Dish 