An exhibition that has just opened at the Science Museum is celebrating 1,000 years of science from the Muslim world.

From about 700 to 1700, many of history’s finest scientists and technologists were to be found in the Muslim world. IND:  I am certainly not for the Islamic republic and wish to see a national, secular Iranian republic but I hope those in the Iranian diaspora that believe all of Iran’s problems started with the Arab invasion and the conversion of Iranians to Islam read this article.

In Christian Europe the light of scientific inquiry had largely been extinguished with the collapse of the Roman empire. But it survived, and indeed blazed brightly, elsewhere.

From Moorish Spain across North Africa to Damascus, Baghdad, Persia and all the way to India, scientists in the Muslim world were at the forefront of developments in medicine, astronomy, engineering, hydraulics, mathematics, chemistry, map-making and exploration.

A new touring exhibition, hosted by the Science Museum in London, celebrates their achievements.

There is one big question the exhibition does not address: why, after so many centuries, did the Muslim world’s scientific leadership falter? From the 16th Century onwards it was in Europe that modern science developed, and where scientific breakthroughs increasingly occurred. Go to BBC.

Students in Iran have been boycotting end-of-term exams as they continue to show their opposition to the outcome of last year’s disputed presidential election.

The move comes a month after thousands of students held street demonstrations to protest against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election last June.

Students have been at the forefront of the protests which initially saw millions of Iranians taking to the streets to demonstrate against the result of the poll. The numbers of protesters declined greatly when a severe crackdown was launched.

The examinations boycott began at Amir Kabir University, a well respected institution with a well organised pro-reform student union. Go to BBC.

Russia regrets that Iran has apparently rejected a UN-brokered nuclear fuel exchange deal to ease the standoff over its atomic programme, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

“We regret that Iran — as far as we can see — does not consider it possible to agree to the formula that it was offered,” Lavrov told a news conference.

Under the plan, Iran would hand over most of its stocks of low-enriched uranium in return for the supply by France and Russia of nuclear fuel enriched to the higher level required for a Tehran research reactor.

He noted that the UN Security Council had the capacity to “study further measures on Iran” but once again did not come out explicitly in support of further UN sanctions against the country.

“Acting with a logic of punishing Iran… is not a sober approach,” he said. Go to AFP.

The stability of the [IND: Persian] Gulf is further threatened by the deepening international crisis over Iran’s insistence on continuing its illicit nuclear programme. Just how the West intends to respond to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s intransigence is being hotly debated among the world’s leading powers. At the very least, Iran can expect further sanctions, which will further increase the regime’s international isolation.

In the past, Iran has responded to such pressure by activating the proxy militia groups that it has established throughout the Middle East, including the Gulf. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have been particularly active in Bahrain, where the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifah dynasty presides over a population that is predominantly Shia Muslim. They have backed numerous plots to overthrow the ruling family and establish an Iranian-style Islamic government on the island, which provides the main Gulf base for the US Fifth Fleet.

Even today, some officials blame Iranian meddling for the anti-government riots that take place almost every week in Bahrain’s Shia slums. The security forces are particularly concerned about the presence in London of leading dissidents, whom they accuse of encouraging the unrest through internet message boards.

Add to this Iran’s deliberate intimidation tactics, which include regular tests of medium-range missiles designed to attack its smaller neighbours in the Gulf. Bahrain and its neighbours have demonstrated a remarkable resilience and resourcefulness in tackling the region’s financial crisis. But they will need similar fortitude to withstand the very different challenges the future is almost certain to bring. Go to Telegraph.

The Iranian engineer flew to Paris with his wife, intending to see the Eiffel Tower and other tourist sites. Instead, he was arrested at the airport under a U.S. warrant – suspected of evading export controls to buy U.S. technology for Iran’s military.

The case of Majid Kakavand, accused of purchasing American electronics online and routing it to Iran via Malaysia, has shed light on increasing U.S. attempts to crack down on people outside American borders suspected of illegally buying U.S. supplies for Iran military programs.

The case is also pushing the justice system in France, which has grown increasingly tough on Iran’s nuclear ambitions but also has trade and oil interests in the country, toward a stand that could have deep diplomatic and economic repercussions.

Kakavand’s future could be decided at a Feb. 17 Paris hearing on whether to extradite him to the United States. Go to Washington Post.

In an apparent attempt to address political tensions that stubbornly refuse to go away, Tehran is allowing opposition-minded figures to participate in live televised discussions on the country’s postelection crisis…it has created a buzz among Iranians accustomed to seeing broadcasts that generally favor the views of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

The talk show “Ru be Farda,” or “Facing Tomorrow,” has for weeks pitted hard-liners and more moderate figures against each other. On January 14, for example, former parliamentarian Javad Ettaat condemned (below) the state’s deadly crackdown on opposition protests that took place on Ashura, the traditional Shi’ite religious festival that took place on December 27. Ettaat is a supporter of Mir Hossein Musavi, the leader of the opposition Green Movement who finished second to Ahmadinejad in an election his backers believe was stolen.

“Velvet revolutions occur in despotic countries. When you say that some want a ‘velvet revolution’ to take place in Iran, you have admitted that the Islamic republic does not have free elections. You admit it indirectly,” said Ettat.

The university professor added that “if there are free elections, if the process is democratic, if there is free space for competiveness, and if the fate is decided by the ballot boxes, then why should people want a revolution?”

Roozbeh Mirebrahimi, a New York-based journalist, tells RFE/RL that the debates expose internal rifts within the conservative camp itself, with moderate conservatives trying to find a way out of the postelection crisis.

“The moderate camp of the conservative faction was able to push forward this idea that opposition members should also be given a platform — but not those who are considered the ‘real’ opposition,” Mirebrahimi says.

Mirebrahimi says the state television invite to the debates people that are being considered by conservatives as moderate members of the Green movement.

“They chose people who are close to the principlists, or those who aren’t really opposition members.”

Mirebrahimi suggests that the move is an official acknowledgment that the country is indeed facing a crisis, something officials have refused to publicly admit.

The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Ali Larijani, said on January 19 that the holding of the debates should not be temporary and it should be turned into a strategy for Iran’s state broadcasting.

A student activist in the Iranian capital and member of the opposition Green Movement who spoke on condition of anonymity out of security fears tells RFE/RL that the debates might have been “eye-opening” for some government supporters, leading to it to be considered “dangerous” by hard-liners. Indeed, several conservative publications, including the daily “Resalat,” have criticized “Facing Tomorrow,” warning that the program could lead to street riots.  Looking at the big picture, the activist says the debates are too little and too late to satisfy the opposition, whose members are getting ready to resume their protests against the government on February 11, the anniversary of the 1979 revolution.

But for now, the show goes on, with former Revolutionary Guard head Mohsen Rezai and Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, scheduled to spar this week over recent developments in the country. Go to Radio Free Europe.

Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani gave an address Wednesday night strongly criticizing the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on multiple issues, ranging from the economy to dealing with the aftermath of the June elections. Larijani also blamed the nation’s political turmoil on extremists on both sides of the political divide, saying their dispute discouraged foreign investment and encouraged Iran’s enemies to take advantage of the situation.

Larijani’s speech, which he gave in the central provinces, highlighted the frustrations of traditional conservatives in the aftermath of the June 12 presidential election. They are alienated on one hand by Ahmadinejad’s ultra-conservative camp with its heavy-handed foreign and economic policies, which politicians like Larijani view as inept and inefficient. But on the other, traditional conservatives dislike the Green Movement’s calls for sweeping reform, feeling that they are agitators tainted with Western ideology. Go to Inside Iran.

Forbes: In Depth: The Top 10 Oil Fields Of The Future

Washington Post: NYC consultant denied bail in Iran trade case A management consultant charged with violating the Iran Trade Embargo was denied bail Thursday despite his claims that he would not be welcome in Iran.U.S. District Judge John F. Keenan ordered Mahmoud Reza Banki held until his March 22 trial on charges that he broke money transfer laws when he and relatives in Iran transferred money to each other.Banki, 33, of Manhattan, has been held without bail since he was arrested earlier this month. He is accused of operating an unlicensed money transfer business, a charge that federal sentencing guidelines suggest would carry a prison term of at least five years after a conviction.

NY Times: Diplomatic Hand Extended: Furor May Erupt if Shaken Iran angrily denied reports on Thursday that its tourism minister shook hands with his Israeli counterpart at a reception in Spain, which would have violated Iran’s strict anti-Israeli policies.An adviser to Stas Misezhnikov, the Israeli tourism minister, said the two ministers shook hands at a reception on Wednesday hosted by the king and queen of Spain. Only ministers and ambassadors were present at the meeting, said the adviser, Amnon Liebermann.

“Victory by terrifying” is a trope that is present in many of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s speeches. Indeed, it is a reliable guide to his political philosophy…But cultivating fear in others also makes one more susceptible to fear, and nothing is more frightening to Khamenei and the leaders of the Islamic Republic than the social dynamism unleashed by the democratic movement brewing inside the country.

The regime seems convinced that there is only a small likelihood of a military attack on its nuclear programme. It does not believe that sanctions can bring about its collapse. Thus, external forces do not appear to pose much of a threat.

What has shaken the government, and indeed threatens the existence of the ruling Islamic ideology, is the pressure of the Iranian people for human and political rights. Hossein Saffar Harandi, a former minister of culture and Islamic guidance, expressed this fear when he said that “citizens who want the government to be accountable before the people [are] part of a soft war against the Islamic Republic.”

For 30 years, the Islamic Republic has relied on the heavy hand of the internal-security apparatus to silence dissidents and critics. Fear is a cornerstone of the republic. But, since Iran’s post-election crisis in June, the people have become fearless, and in turn are terrifying the government.

Khamenei’s foreign policy is now completely subject to how the domestic situation in Iran develops. As recent months have shown, he will consider a compromise with the west only when he loses his certainty that all is under control internally. It is like a seesaw: Khamenei’s domestic weakness changes the balance of Iran’s foreign policy.  IND:  In the past, Khamenei hasn’t shown that he is willing to compromise under pressure because he believes doing so would only invite more pressure.  But maybe he didn’t do so because hadn’t felt enough pressure.

Support of human rights and democracy in Iran is not only a matter of morality. It should be a strategic priority for the west. Empowering the Iranian people means weakening Khamenei and his military allies. And a weakened Khamenei is more likely to compromise on the nuclear front. Go to Guardian.

IND:  A long piece by Mr. Cordesman.  This part was especially interesting.

• Asymmetric and irregular warfare: There is no simple way to describe the lower threshold of Iran’s military development and ability to use it to pressure, threaten, or attack other powers. Any weapon and any type of force can be used in asymmetric, irregular, or hybrid ways from a terrorist proxy to a nuclear weapon. In fact, Iran has already demonstrated such capabilities in a wide range of ways:
  • Iranian tanker war with Iraq
  • Oil spills and floating mines in Gulf.
  • Use of Quds force in Iraq.
  • Series of IRGC and naval/air exercises in Gulf and Gulf of Oman
  • Iranian use of UAVs over Iraq.
  • Funding and training of Hizbollah; Provision of UAVs, long-range rockets, Kornet ATGMs to Hizbollah.
  • Incidents and demonstrations during pilgrimage in Makkah.
  • Transfer shaped charge and other advanced IEDs to Mahdi Army and others in Iraq; training of Iraqi insurgents.
  • Arms flow into western Afghanistan.
  • Shipments of arms to Hamas and Palestinians.
  • Support of Shi’ite groups in Bahrain.
  • Long-range ballistic missile and space tests; expanding range of missile programs. Iranian public description of possible missile attacks on Israel that indirectly demonstrate Iran’s capability to attack its neighbors.
  • Naval guards seizure of British boat, confrontation with US Navy,
  • Long series of IRGC and Iranian military exercises in Gulf demonstrating ability to attack coastal targets, shipping, and offshore facilities. Go to CSIS.

President Obama, in his Cairo speech discussing the rule of law, justice, transparent government, and “freedom to live as you choose,” promised: “Those are not just American ideas; they are human rights and we will support them everywhere.”

But what happens when these global pledges collide with narrow, but critical, national interests? How must a president balance the promotion of democracy in a country with an oppressive regime from which he seeks momentous concessions?

That depends. It depends on the country. It depends on the importance of the concessions. Take some of the unenviable situations confronting the Obama administration:

China, by contrast, is very important to the US. It is America’s banker and a formidable nuclear-armed power. It is gobbling up oil around the world for its booming economy. It is building an impressive navy. It is flexing its political, economic, and military muscle. So when Mr. Obama went to China recently, he had to tip-toe around the issue of human rights carefully.

Iran presents a particularly difficult challenge. In a blatant denial of basic human rights, tens of thousands of citizens protesting a stolen presidential election and calling for democratic reforms are getting beaten up by government-directed thugs and suffering arrest and imprisonment.

While some have been killed, protesters remain courageous and unfazed. Their defiance has shaken the regime. Iranian nationalism is in play. Nobody can be sure whether this is the beginning of regime change.

Initially, Obama was carefully detached in his comments about the situation. As the violent crackdown on the demonstrators has become more deadly, he has become more vigorous in his support for free speech and free assembly in Iran.

It is a hugely difficult challenge for him. While his heart may go out to the students and other demonstrators, he is seeking engagement with a repressive government that appears intent on developing a nuclear bomb, or at least coming to the brink of being able to make one.  IND:  This is a false trade off.  The only solution to Iran’s nuclear development is a democratic Iran.  Go to CS Monitor.