IRAQ: An End to Isolation

In the Middle East, no nation has been more isolated and more hostile in recent years—even to some of its Arab neighbors—than Iraq. But along with other hopeful signs in the area, the Iraqis have begun to show some indication of mellowing. A small but significant sign of this is the stepped-up travel of the country's stern, determined political leader, Saddam Hussein Takriti, 38, who in Baghdad is known simply as "the Deputy." That is an understated reference to his position as strongman of the far-leftist Baath (Renaissance) Party, which has ruled...