The new spokeswoman of the Iranian foreign ministry

Western media strain to find evidence of reform in the horrific oil and gas kingdoms of the GCC.  Yesterday, the director of the Middle East section of Human Rights Watch wrote a congratulatory note to Saudi Arabia for "passing" (as if their is a legislative body to pass laws) a law on domestic violence (the new law states that any man who hits his wife will now receive a new car by the House of Saud).  I say that because I noticed that none of the Western media noted (to my knowledge) that the new Foreign Minister of Iran appointed a woman as his spokesperson.  Now, I am not exaggerating the significance but only compare that to...your beloved Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where women live in medieval-like conditions as far as political rights are concerned.  I know there is tokenism in Iran as there is in Washington, DC and that men (in both countries) run the show (although the men in the former country are elected and the men in the latter country are not--or are in questionable and limited elections).