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Presents several editorials which discuss different subjects. "Vance, Brzezinski and Kojak," which discussed the foreign policies of the U.S. government; "Budget Blues," which discussed the policies of U.S. President Jimmy Carter regarding the budget for 1980; "He Might Have Read the Nation," which discussed the political conditions of Iran.

The article reports on the ouster of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in 1979 after 37 years on the throne in Iran . It mentions that after the departure of the monarch and his wife Empress Farah, the people shouted with a feeling of great joy in Tehran where they danced in streets, army troops embraced and garlanded their wind-shield wipers with flowers. Exiled leader Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini became the father of the Iranian revolution and marked his name in almost every corner of the city. It also notes that Khomeini and his supporters knew that their victory is only a sign of a new chapter of their struggle against the shaky government of Prime Minister Shahpour Bakhtiar and the foreign domination.

The article examines the geopolitics of Iran. The country is considered to be the center of the arc of crisis that stretches along the shores of Indian Ocean. Iran is seen as the world's fourth largest oil producer and the fortress of the military and economic strength of the U.S. in the Middle East. It states that the crisis area is vast and it reaches out to India, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It mentions the reign of Shah Mohammed Roza Pahlavi that is about to end with increasing civil unrest and revolution.

Reports that the pressures stemming from the Iran-Iraq war and the U.S. policy of isolating Islamic Iran have laid the basis for Iran's new diplomatic initiatives. Problems created by the nation's international isolation; Infighting in the battle to succeed Iran's leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini; Desperation of Iran for arms, money, and international support it had previously denounced; Overtures of Iran to start diplomatic relation with the U.S.

Comments on the impact of the war between Iraq and Iran on internal politics in Iran. Setback suffered by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's project for the creation of an Islamic theocracy in Iran; Effects of the emergence of Iranian President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr as a dominant figure in Iran's war effort; Implications on international relations and world politics.

Examines lessons from the Iran political crisis and its implications for the future course of United States foreign policy. Foreign policy division in the United States; Suggestion that United States diplomats and intelligence agencies must be more sensitive than they have been to social and economic developments in other countries; Need to expand and improve information analysis at the Central Intelligence Agency; Argument by Hang Tough chair Henry Kissinger that the crisis in Iran is part of a progressive collapse of pro-Western governments which can be arrested only by a firm, purpose and consistent American policy; Kissinger's criticism of the Carter administration for pressuring Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to ease up his dictatorial control of Iran.

Focuses on Iran. President Mohammed Khatami's news conference warning that the United States and Iran remain far apart on key issues; Mention of his address to the United Nations at the opening of the General Assembly in fall 1998; The country veering politically between moderation and extremism; Mention of the death sentence imposed against an author by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989; The struggle for power within Iran and the government debate on whether to attack Afghanistan. INSET: A step forward, a step back.

The article focuses on the possible repercussions of the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran by radicals. It highlights the prediction of some of Middle East experts that Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini's outrageous violation of international custom would brand him as a pariah in the Islamic World. It states that majority of Khomeini's neighboring rulers disapprove the embassy invasion and holding of diplomatic hostages, fearing that this kind of revolution could take root in their nations, especially Saudi Arabia. It comments that the collapse of Iran and the decline of the U.S. influence in the Middle East will trigger the Soviets to gain access to the Persian Gulf for their enlarged navy

Focuses on various political developments in the U.S. and Iran. Popularity of Senator Edmund Muskie; Family background of Muskie; Argument that Muskie was a big advantage to the administration of U.S. President Jimmy Carter; View that Muskie has not been too successful in making the new congressional budget mechanism work; Discussion about the hostage rescue mission of Carter; Efforts of Iranian President Abdolhassan Bani-Sadr to free the American hostages and to control Muslim clerical rivals.

The article discusses the political and economic outlook of Iran for 1986. The fanatical mullahs of Iran are massing infantry for an attack across the Tigris River, aiming to cut the main road to Basra, Iraq and break the stalemate in the six-year old war with Baghdad. It has been said that if the Iranian offensive cracks the hard-pressed defenses of Iraq or political morale, the weak gulf state will be left vulnerable to political and military pressure from Iran.

Comments on Iran. President Mohammed Khatami's apparent wavering between moderation and extremism when it comes to foreign policy; The release of author Salman Rushdie from the fatwa imposed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989; Iran's association with terrorists; The possibility of Khatami's diplomatic initiative being overruled by Ayatollah Khamenei, head of Iran's Army. INSET: A Step Forward, a Step Back.

Iran's election last week made it clear that the Islamic Republic founded by Ayatollah Khomeini 25 years ago has not evolved as some had hoped into a serious democracy. So the predictable outcome was a victory for the religious conservatives. Iran's leaders insist that they do not want nuclear weapons, and never have. With each new leak, Iran has changed its story. It now admits to having had a secret programme to enrich uranium. Along with Libya and North Korea, it seems to have been one of the main customers of Abdul Qadeer Khan, the disgraced Pakistani who ran a global nuclear-smuggling network. The mere prospect of Iran acquiring a bomb has prompted Israel to ponder aloud the case for a pre-emptive strike. If Iran got the bomb, sometime enemies such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia might feel compelled to follow suit. In short, though a nuclear Iran may not be worth fighting a war to avert, it is a danger worth averting.

The article focuses on Prince Mohammed Reza Pahlevi and his political career in Iran. His father was dethroned in 1941 and Prince Mohammed Reza was torn between the lesson he learned from his ruthless father and the reality of paternal humiliation. In the end Prince Mohammed Reza was given a second chance with the help of the U.S. and the mistakes committed by his enemies. For twenty five years he controlled the fulcrum of the past and future of Iran. After all those years, he was once again torn between progressive goals and traditional methods of implementing order in an unruly land. After succeeding for so long, his sudden descent is particularly surprising.