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Letter from the Publisher

December 2008

The United States of America has ushered a new era of change and hope by electing Barack Obama to be its next president.  This historic election will bring a new vision and approach to world issues and change the image of the United States abroad.  This provides many countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran with a unique opportunity as well to change their outlook and policies vis a vis the United States and the region and begin a fresh attempt at resolving its own image crisis so that it can finally begin to come of the animosity and isolation that has characterized its relationship for the past thirty years.  If President elect Obama keeps his promise of engaging Iran and negotiating with it without preconditions, then it is up to Iran to not ruin this chance for coming through with clarity and transparency to resolve its disputes over the nuclear issue as well as its regional policies.  In this light, the congratulatory letter sent by President Ahmadinejad- the first of its kind since the Islamic Revolution-to President elect Obama may be a sign that Iran is ready to begin a new chapter in its relations with the United States.  Hopefully there will be a positive response from the new US administration when its takes office in January 2009.  If the relationship between Iran and the United States improves, then a host of other issues plaguing the region can also be resolved with more ease and will bring much needed peace, security and prosperity to the region. 

Aspiring for a "Culture of Peace", world leaders gathered at the UN last month for a conference sponsored by Saudi Arabia to promote tolerance, mutual respect, and dialogue among world religions and civilizations.  King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for peace and harmony and speaker after speaker who were twenty heads of state or government including President Bush, echoed these words.  Although cultural and political differences emerged over the interpretation of tolerance and freedom, the conference was a success and world leaders praised the Saudi king as a pioneer in attempting to build bridges between the Islamic and Western worlds. The conference issued a statement urging "dialogue, understanding, and tolerance among human beings".