George Will’s dismissal of the blogosphere aside, it seems that there is little doubt that blogs have—collectively and individually—gained considerable prominence and influence and have likely done more to promote democracy than any of this nation’s recent foreign endeavors. Blogs offer the potential to give a voice to those who might otherwise not be heard. And, when the voices become a chorus, change is eminently possible. Consider the stunning results of the 2006 elections. Consider what is emerging in Iran, as reported here by the Boston Globe:

Iran bloggers test regime’s tolerance

TEHRAN — By day, Alireza Samiei covers banking and insurance for an industry newspaper. By night, he writes a daring online blog about Iran’s social and political ills.

In a recent blog entry, he described a scene he saw while talking to a greengrocer about soaring prices: A young child was pleading, ” ‘Mommy, I want watermelon.’ The woman, shy and sorrowful, singled out one broken, small watermelon from the spoiled fruit bin and told the grocer, ‘Just this one, please.’ She put 20 cents on the counter and hurried away.”

Samiei, 27, is among the growing ranks of Iranian bloggers who are relentlessly pushing the boundaries of free expression, making Farsi one of the 10 most popular languages for blogs. The bloggers are testing just how much political and social dissent the nation’s rulers will tolerate on the Internet.

The authorities are pushing back. They have blocked access to thousands of websites in recent years that are deemed to threaten Iran’s Islamic revolution, including the BBC’s Farsi-language site. A trial began this month against four bloggers on charges including propaganda against the state. And in October, the government barred high-speed Internet service in private homes.

Especially threatening, it appears, are sites that create online communities that might allow Iranians to assemble virtually. The government banned the hugely popular Orkut site, an online Iranian social club. The latest casualty this month: YouTube.com, the American site for sharing videos online. Click on it in Iran and the screen reports, “Access denied.”

The Paris-based rights group Reporters Without Borders includes Iran on its list of 13 countries designated “enemies of the Internet.” That organization’s website is also blocked in Iran.

The organization said repression of bloggers has eased somewhat in 2006. But in a report in November, the group said Internet filtering has accelerated, with two political sites, tik.ir and meydaan.com, closed down in recent weeks. Both had criticized the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Bloggers agree that they have found some latitude in recent months. Many have developed a feel for the boundaries, and some are trying to stretch them rather than break them. [full text]