PINR

Beijing secures an important diplomatic victory after President Bush gave Taipei a smart rap on the knuckles, warning it against taking any unilateral steps that may lead to Taiwan's eventual independence. This may have signaled a subtle, but significant change in US policy.

As domestic support for the campaign in Iraq began to slide, the capture of the deposed Iraqi president is a boon for the Bush administration.

From the beginning, Iran's decision to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) latest stipulations on its nuclear research programme was an attempt to politically outmaneuver Washington.

The supporters of US are falling prey to terror strikes. This is a simple strategy to limit the backing extended to the superpower in its occupation of Iraq.

The ties between the two nuclear-armed states are raising many questions and fears, especially for Pakistan who describes it as a 'dangerous' nexus.

Saddam Hussein has been removed, but the United States' reasons for launching a war against his regime are now mired in contradictions.

The United States blames al-Qaeda for every terror strike that occurs around the world, but it is unlikely that the movement is as powerful as claimed by its opponents.

In the face of threats, weaker states try to mislead their rivals by claiming to have superior defence capabilities. Could have this been Saddam Hussein's strategy? Are North Korea and Iran doing the same?

Heeding the words of Osama bin Laden, terror organisations are striking at economic rather than military targets, with the hope of bringing the superpower to its knees.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, one of the leading foreign policy interests of powerful states has been to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, in order to preserve their power.

The US has succeeded in effecting a regime change in Iraq. But in its aftermath, the Bush administration, with its elusive WMDs and forged documents, is beginning to look like a possible casualty as well.

There are numerous objectives behind the US-led military campaign o­n Iraq. Among them are, to reshape the Middle East and to secure control over the region's oil supply.

A war o­n Iraq will spike oil prices, though the Bush government believes the end result is economic growth. But tensions in the Middle East and militant threats may set that back, dragging down emerging markets in South America and Southeast Asia.

Pyongyang cleverly took advantage of the looming war in Iraq to complicate US strategic goals and to thrust North Korea's political and economic concerns on to the global stage.

North Korea's recent admission of enriching uranium for the purpose of creating a nuclear weapon may be an attempt to foil the US strategy of keeping the former a public threat in order to facilitate the creation of the Theater Missile Defence (TMD) system.

The United States is pushing Japan to remilitarize in order to keep China in check. A nervous Beijing is keeping a wary eye on the developments and is warning that this will force it to acquire more powerful weapons to preserve its sovereignty.

Twenty-five years of constant bloodshed including two major invasions and ubiquitous factionalism are impeding Afghanistan's progress.