Time
22
THE GULF: These are the longest days. Time moves in slow motion. An entire world waits with shallow breath, asking, Will there be peace or will there be war?
The U.S. could have let the sanctions continue without setting a deadline for Iraq's departure from Kuwait. But with decision time at hand, it seems pointless to second-guess President Bush. If war breaks out, it will not be an accident. Both sides would rather fight than switch.
26
Saddam has a wide range of options
They run from total capitulation to bloody carnage. No one knows what course he will choose.
30
Last gasps on the negotiation trail
Unfazed by the dead end, diplomats are trying to carve out a possible path toward peace.
32
Reluctant nod from Capitol Hill
As last hopes fade, Congress authorizes Bush to lead the country into battle in the gulf.
36
A mood of anxiety before the storm
Americans are gripped by a combination of resolve and resignation as they conclude that war is inevitable.
45
NATION: The axing of the A-12 sends a tough message to contractors
Fed up with delays and cost overruns, Defense Secretary Cheney pulls the plug on the Avenger program, signaling an end of the buddy-buddy deals of the Reagan era.
48
WORLD: A Kremlin crackdown on the separatists
Soviet troops deploy in Lithuania and mobilize to move on other republics. The Haitian army -- surprisingly -- crushes a coup attempt.
54
BUSINESS: The bigger they come, the softer they fall
A major banking rescue raises questions of fairness. The bailout boss is a sharp-talking gunslinger. The House banking chairman blasts lawmakers and lobbyists alike.
66
EDUCATION: Better safe than sorry?
The idea of handing out condoms in the nation's public high schools is gaining adherents -- and attracting vociferous opposition.
67
ETHICS: Life and death after Nancy Cruzan
Who decides when to terminate life, and how? Across the U.S., a string of painful dilemmas about possibly stopping vital care is wending its way through the courts.
68
RELIGION: Latin America's Protestant boom
Guatemala's new President, who scored a smashing victory last week, personifies the rapid gains being made by his fellow Pentecostalists and other Evangelicals throughout Latin America. The Roman Catholic Church faces "a serious crisis," says one expert, and its hierarchy is jittery.
72
SPORT: Running again -- on empty
A drug-free Ben Johnson returns to the track after a two-year suspension for taking steroids, but other athletes are using performance-enhancing steroids as much as ever.
12 Letters
16 Interview
19 Grapevine
60 Books
63 Nature
65 Environment
70 Video
70 Milestones
73 People
74 Essay
Cover: Inset photograph by Thomas Hartwell