It's not possible for two countries to be the leading dominant political power at the same time.

Culture follows power.

My friends all say I’m going to be Secretary of State, [but] I don’t see how that would be much different from the job I have now

I enjoy writing but I much prefer the experience of having written.

Iran is a country of 80 million people, educated and dynamic. It sits astride a crucial part of the world. It cannot be sanctioned and pressed down forever. It is the last great civilization to sit outside the global order.

I very much want to be in the business of creating content, of doing stories all over the world rather than figuring out what the business model is for 'Newsweek' on the iPad, although that's very important work as well.

The Berlin Wall wasn't the only barrier to fall after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Traditional barriers to the flow of money, trade, people and ideas also fell.