Megan West(erby)

"Khamenei would always come and say, ‘Shut up; what I say goes,’ ” said Azar Nafisi, the author of two memoirs about Iran, including “Reading Lolita in Tehran.” “Everyone would say, ‘O.K., it is the word of the leader.’ Now the myth that there is a leader up there whose power is unquestionable is broken."

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News Analysis - In Iran, an Iron Cleric, Now Blinking - NYTimes.com

Fascinating breakdown of the rise and potential fall of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

16 June 2009 ·