Sword Pointing at Iran
2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution. Thirty years ago, the Iranian people overthrew the Pahlavi King, who was a U.S. ally, and established the Islamic Republic, creating a new type of state combining politics and religion. During that revolution, radical Iranian students occupied the U.S. embassy in Iran, holding more than dozens of Americans hostage for 444 days. The U.S., in order to rescue the detained hostages, launched the "Desert One" operation, which involved coordinated land, sea, and air rescue efforts, but it ended in failure. Since this incident, the relationship between the U.S. and Iran...