Monday’s Times carries a report of Iranian preparations for the meeting of non-aligned nations taking place in Teheran. 118 of 120 member nations are expected, including Egypt’s new president, Mohamed Morsi (who is floating a peace plan for Syria to include China, Russia, and Iran, but not us!). Ban Ki Moon, the head of the UN, will be there over the strenuous objections of PM Netanyahu and the somewhat milder objections of the U.S.

One fascinating detail in the news story is the description of the exhibit featuring three cars destroyed in explosions that also killed the three Iranian nuclear scientists (they are pictured along with their children); the explosions are said to have been the work of Israeli agents. There are also details of the security arrangements for the conference, including efforts to keep those pesky Iranian citizens away from the delegates.

On the whole, I thought it was a story that told of Iranian grievances against the U.S. and Israel in an unusually straightforward way. Since I am also reading The Twilight War: The Secret History of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran by David Crist, the Times story served as a reminder that the U.S. is not innocent (and has not been very smart) vis a vis Iran, which of course is not innocent or very smart either. Is there a “Dummy’s Guide to Good Governance”?