Afghanistan
A shah falls. The West, taken by surprise, fears not only the loss of Iranian oil but shock-wave effects on the Persian Gulf and other parts of the Middle East. Pro-Russian revolutionaries seize power in Afghanistan and shortly thereafter the American ambassador in the Afghan capital is kidnapped and killed. The hope for Arab Israeli peace raised at Camp David twists in the wind. Where American interests are concerned, the countries of this part of the world present growing difficulties and puzzles. Here are reports from two of those countries, one in which already limited U.S. influence may soon disappear altogether, the other a country that American policy-makers have for the most part ignored.