Lost grandeur.

The United States has a longstanding rift with Iran - a country rich in history since the time of Alexander the Great - dating back to the toppling of the Shah back in 1979. Can their relationship ever be cordial again?

In evaluating the performance of a firm, its track record over immediate preceding years is of utmost important. It becomes the basis of judging its current well-being and immediate future. The same is true of a nation's political situation. Continuing turmoil that began a year earlier does not augur well for it to attract investment, business relocation and international tourism.

A bank certainly thinks lightly, if not dismissively, of any initiative at borrowing if an individual is blacklisted over his past loan-servicing delinquency. This constitutes an analogy that has been faced by Iran, particularly since the overthrow of the Shah by his own people in 1979.

If Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had once pointedly said in his motivational talk that 'the Malays forget easily', he might have equally meant it in general terms. …