August 2, 2012 | 3:07 am

August 2, 2012

Posted by Shmuel Rosner

Israel's flag bearer Shahar Zubari leads the country's athletes at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, July 27, 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

In-depth

Tehran Takedown

Michael Ledeen of Foreign Affairs takes a look at how to spark an Iranian revolution.

Although an Iranian revolution may seem unlikely to the casual observer, the Iranian people can be said to have revolution in their DNA, having carried out three revolutions in the twentieth century. Many skeptics argue that any Western aid to the Green Movement would delegitimize it in such a nationalist country. Yet, during the mass demonstrations in 2009 and 2010, protesters waved signs and banners saying “Obama, where are you?”

Syrian Paradox: The Regime Gets Stronger, Even as It Loses Its Grip

As its grip on power diminishes, Bashar Assad’s regime is transforming into a militia with no desire to compromise, writes Tony Karon in TIME.

To the extent that the Alawites believe the triumph of the rebellion consigns them to a grim fate, they will fight to prevent that — with the tacit backing of many in other minorities and sections of society that feel threatened by the prospect of a victory by the hard men, many of them Islamists, who fight under the banner of the loose-knit Free Syrian Army.

Making Aliyah for the Olympics

Stephanie Butnick of Tablet Magazine meets two Americans who became Israeli to compete in the 2012 London Games.

On Saturday morning, Illinois-native Jillian Schwartz and Los Angelino Donald Sanford will put on their uniforms and take the Olympic stage in London where they will compete in the qualifying rounds for pole vault and 400-meter dash, respectively. But the two former U.S. citizens won’t be wearing red, white, and blue. They’ll be competing for Israel, as the only American-born members of the Jewish state’s Olympic team.

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