For this week's Global Pulse episode, Iran’s Power Players, host Erin Coker asks the question: Are Khamenei and Ahmadinejad playing "good cop, bad cop"? Share your thoughts below!

In the nearly three months since Iran's disputed election and the massive street protests that followed, global media have turned their attention to the internal factional bickering within Iran's ruling party. Allegations of detainee abuse have created further fissures within Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's conservative government, with the country's leadership offering conflicting responses to the allegations.

Reacting to claims made by opposition candidate Mehdi Karroubi of detainee torture and sexual abuse, Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani vehemently dismissed the allegations as "sheer lies," according to a CNN report. Larijani's remarks contradicted police and judiciary officials who acknowledged detainee abuse at the now-shuttered Kahrizak prison and promised to investigate the claims. According to The Guardian, an unnamed Iranian MP said he had proof of the abuse, further contradicting Larijani.

As this week's episode points out, Ahmadinejad and the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have also appeared at odds over abuse allegations. According to a report that ran on the state-controlled Press TV website on August 28th, Ahmadinejad blamed the abuse on an enemy plot, saying that he had evidence which "exonerated revolutionary, military, security and intelligence forces." But three days later, following a report that the detained son of a conservative political advisor had died as a result of abuse, the BBC reported that Ayatollah Khamenei promised the young man's father that those responsible would be brought to justice.

The confusing signals reflect factional struggles at the highest levels of government, which can only be aggravated by the Iranian blogosphere's relentless pursuit of allegations of torture, sexual abuse and killings of detained protesters, often through chilling personal accounts. On September 2, the independent Radio Zamanah’s website reported that a rape victim and key witness in the case had disappeared. Mentions of the story surfaced several times throughout the day on the microblogging site Twitter, alongside posts like "Regime, No matter how many you execute, torture, or rape. We will never stop. We will never give up on our right to freedom," and, "Saeedeh's body was burned & almost unrecognizable (note that she was arrested from her house, so burning was deliberate)."

Even after the dust has settled on the present internal political struggle, it may take more than damage control to bridge the divisions between the Iranian government and its people.

In my opinion, nakedness lays bare a person's true nature. It strips away hidden agendas, dishonesty and any sense that the person is untouchable. I could see nakedness playing an important role in the world of politics. I am tired of the deception of politicos. I want the naked truth.

 A humorous article on the Guardian website speculates that many political careers would end if politicians made speeches in the nude. For example, "If Robert Mugabe had to stand naked before the people of Zimbabwe and justify his actions he'd be gone in seconds." The writer, Richard Smith, muses that nakedness among politicians could go so far as to abolish tyranny. It makes me laugh to think of that.

Vladimir Putin has turned heads by gallivanting shirtless around Siberia. Sure, it's easy for Western media to poke fun at the Russian PM, but as reported by Spiegel Online, the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaja Pravda "ran a 'Be Like Putin' article, instructing men about exercises they can do to develop a robust torso like Putin's.” Seems like Putin has found a way to motivate young Russian men to be fit and healthy by showing off his own naked torso!

In Belgium, politician Tania Derveaux, the leading candidate of the NEE party for the senate, posed nude in a billboard campaign. Sexy and suggestive, these posters might just gain the support Tania needs to win the senate seat.

And in Poland, the Polish Women's Party used a similar tactic as Tania, albeit a little less suggestive and more political, in their campaign posters. In a Telegraph article, party founder and writer, Manuela Gretkowska said, "This poster is intended to shatter stereotypes in the anachronistic world of politics, which is more often dominated by uncommunicative men." According to Lara Kattan, a writer and professor at Northwestern University, "Most of the major [Polish] parties list female candidates' names on the bottom of electoral lists so they're not seen and not voted for."

Nakedness shows that politicians can relax, be at ease and be human like the rest of us.

Do we need more nudity in government? Does seeing our politicians without their clothes on give us more confidence in their leadership abilities? I think so. What do you think?

In this week's Global Pulse episode, World Leaders - NAKED!, host Erin Coker asks why we are so fascinated by seeing our politicians in the buff. Share your thoughts on "Naked Politicians = Truth + Honesty"!