Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.Middle East Gunboat Diplomacy
In the hazy seas off the Lebanese coast, the huge fleet steamed slowly eastward. Composed of 20 fighting ships, the armada was led by two of the world's largest aircraft carriers, the nuclear-powered U.S.S. Nimitz and the John F. Kennedy. The presence of so large a force in the volatile eastern Mediterranean last week inevitably raised the question: Was the U.S. preparing to launch a military assault to free all or most of the 24 foreigners, including eight Americans, held hostage by Shi'ite radicals in Lebanon?
Though the U.S. had clearly ordered the Sixth Fleet to make a show of force,...
Email, Password or Region is incorrect
A required form parameter was missing.
The System is currently down. Please try again in a few minutes.
Email Address is invalid
Password is blank
Most Popular »
- 50 Best iPhone Apps 2012
- Deadly Cold Grips Europe
- Your Turn, Canada: A Second-By-Second Look at Jeremy Lin Lighting Up Toronto
- What's in Your Lipstick? FDA Finds Lead in 400 Shades
- Iowa Welcomes Back China's Next President
- Rick Santorum Wants to Fight 'The Dangers Of Contraception'
- Linsanity Heads East, Linfects China and Taiwan
- Why Obama's Re-Election Fortunes Are Suddenly Looking Up
- After Whitney Houston, Musicians Say: I'm Afraid
- Why I Won't Be Boycotting Chick-Fil-A
- Harvard's Hoops Star Is Asian. Why's That a Problem?
- Iowa Welcomes Back China's Next President
- The Upside Of Being An Introvert (And Why Extroverts Are Overrated)
- Beirut: Where Valentine's Day Belongs to Another Kind of Saint
- Friends With Benefits
- With Syria's Rebels: A Visit to a Bombmaker's Factory
- Europe's Deep Freeze: Why Climate Change Is Not (Entirely) to Blame
- Study: Lead Poisoning Could Lurk in Spices
- Romney's Cruel Canine Vacation
- New York City: 10 Things to Do
More News from Our Partners
Top Stories on TIME.com
Quotes of the Day »
