From the Publisher

By Louis A. Weil III

When Iraqi troops marched into Kuwait, the crisis demanded fast moves by news organizations around the world. Neither Iraq nor Kuwait encouraged much coverage by outsiders, and both countries were totally closed after the invasion. The challenge was to surround the area quickly.

The man in charge of deploying TIME's troops is Barrett Seaman, deputy chief of correspondents. As the key link with our reporters around the globe, Barry is used to getting calls at all hours of the day and night. "On the day of the invasion, I talked to our Cairo correspondent Bill Dowell just after dawn," he says. "I told him the obvious: 'Get close to the action.' "

That was easier said than done. Dowell dashed off for Dubai, one of the few countries along the gulf willing to take Western journalists. Cairo bureau chief Dean Fischer, who was working in New York City when the story broke, quickly grabbed a plane back to Cairo. By Monday, when we were planning this week's cover story, Seaman had seven correspondents in or on their way to six countries in the region. Dowell later moved on to Bahrain, much closer to the action. Senior correspondent James Wilde flew to Amman, Jordan, while Rome bureau chief Cathy Booth returned from vacation and headed for Ankara, Turkey. Seoul bureau chief David Jackson, who had reported from the Middle East for three years, flew to Dubai, and Beirut stringer Lara Marlowe headed for Damascus. "The way we operate is like a zone defense in football," Seaman says. "We have to move people over a vast and complicated field to cover the news."

Seaman's major problem last week stemmed from Saudi Arabia's refusal to permit any reporters into the country. Reclusive in the quietest of times, the Saudis prohibited journalists even from covering American troops, although the Pentagon normally ferries a pool of journalists on combat missions. TIME and other news organizations protested the exclusion, and at week's end the Pentagon announced that a military pool would go to Saudi Arabia.

Barry is used to dealing with delicate issues. He was TIME's chief White House correspondent before moving two years ago to his current hot seat in New York. Occasionally, he looks forward to a dull moment.