Slightly off the political trail but fully pertinent nonetheless amid today’s saber rattling, the August issue of National Geographic features a fascinating look at the Iranian nation — largely through the prism of its rich and storied past as (ready for this?) the world’s first real superpower.

Beginning from the standpoint of the retired general who oversaw the U.S. Army’s investigation into the Abu Ghraib debacle, historian Jeremy Brecher and legal analyst Brendan Smith have offered The Nation an outline of the various accountability options that are available and where things stand today. However one may feel about exactly how to reach closure on this most awkward of topics, their points generally are quite well taken and certainly provide every American with food for thought…however difficult it may be to digest.