What if the Islamic Republic of Iran went ahead and developed nuclear weapons? And what if the United States and/or Israel decided that waiting any longer would allow the Iranians to arm their missiles with nuclear warheads? What if Irans nukes could target Israeli cities as far away as Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, and even hit Israels own nuclear facility at Dimona in the Negev Desert?

In recent weeks there have been a number of indications that a rapprochement between Syria and Israel might still be possible. At a press conference held in Washington, D.C., Syrian Ambassador Imad Mustapha said that he believed the time was right for peace talks between his country and Israel. While the unexpected overtures from Damascus have been given somewhat of a frosty reception in Israel, there is a growing belief in the Jewish state that peace with Syria will pay dividends.

At a time when some Muslim fundamentalists are busy trying to export Islamic revolutions around the globe, they might want to take a close look at Iran.

Iraq’s new interim constitution, which includes an extensive bill of rights, may appear less impressive to Arabs than it does to Americans.

THE SPEAKER OF THE IRANIAN PARLIAMENT, MEHDI KARROUBI (R), SPEAKS WITH THE CONSERVATIVE MP WHO TOPPED THE POLLS IN TEHRAN, GHOLAMALI HADDADADEL (L).

IRAQI OPPOSITION LEADER AHMAD CHALABI IN TEHRAN. The United States has approved military funding for six Iraqi opposition groups, including an Iran-based organization that maintains close ties to that countrys hard-line Islamic clerical leadership.

In his January 29 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush said, "The United States of America will not permit the worlds most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the worlds most destructive weapons.

In a brief statement at the beginning of January, the White House announced that Egypt was receiving $959 million in accelerated economic aid. While an important sign of continued U.S.