By Brent Lollis

In December 2006, the Iranian nuclear crisis took a drastic turn toward a more spiral and dangerous development: after months of negotiations, offer of incentives, and threat of sanctions, the European trio (United Kingdom, France and Germany) and the United States succeeded in convincing China and Russia to go along with a so-called watered down UN Security Council resolution (1737) imposing sanctions on Iran. The reason: Iran's refusal to accept the UNSC's demand to halt its nuclear enrichment programs as a precondition for further negotiations for an eventual settlement of the crisis. Iran insisted that it is exercising its right under the NPT and will not compromise over that right. It did, however, offer to negotiate its programs if no preconditions were set.

• Administrative Restructuring. Last October, in a surprise and hasty move, President Ahmadinejad accepted the resignation of his deputy at the Plan and Management Organization, the country's development think tank. This had followed an order by the President which removed the authority over the provincial PMO from the national PMO and placed it under the authority of the provincial Governors. Some in his administration and the legal opposition argued that the change was unconstitutional and inappropriate. Ahmadinejad has sought to decentralize the agency, making it more responsible to local governorates. But the change also permits the President, through the Ministry of Interior, to better control the distribution of local spending. He has also set aside personnel inherited from the previous administration in the foreign ministry and the oil ministry. At the same time as the restructuring occurred, two deputy oil ministers resigned.

By Hooshang Amirahmadi

In 2007, global stability will continue to be affected by developments in the Middle East, which will remain a hotbed of the most troubling global conflicts and the energy reservoir of the world. The struggle in Iraq will no doubt intensify and spread beyond the nation's borders. The US-Iran spiral conflict will also deepen due to Iran's pursuit of a nuclear program and its association with Islamic radicals. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict will also continue unabated and only negligible prospects exist for a renewed peace talk. These conflicts will make the world a more unstable place in 2007.

The month of December 2006 witnessed several student demonstrations in Iranian universities. The students are demanding an independent and democratic university administration. In recent months, the Government has forced out several faculty members and administrators who are not religiously conservative enough, or do not wish to follow the strict Islamic policies that are being imposed.

Significantly, during a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Ami Kabir University, students went out of their way to chant anti-Ahmadinejad slogans, calling him a dictator, chanting "death to the dictator," and burning his pictures. The executive branch accused domestic opposition and "foreign agents" for the troubles.

As in the past, students could not sustain these protests beyond a few days and they again failed to make the movement national in character. The public also remained on the sideline as did the pro-democracy groups and parties in the country. The exile opposition tried to use the occasion but it also failed to make any noticeable headway.

Student movements in Iran have ever been paralyzed because of their disconnection with the general public and political opposition as well as their narrow focus on freedom and the independence of the universities. The public is also not convinced that the younger generations are prepared for the larger tasks of national development, security and reconciliation.