Bush 's critical challenges
His handling of the immediate threats could have a decisive impact on his presidency and the 2004 poll campaign
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush faces an array of policy challenges in the coming weeks that could prove pivotal for his presidency as well as the 2004 election campaign.
Returning to the White House yesterday after a 10-day winter break of long walks and brush-clearing in Texas, he has to confront immediately the triple threats of a defiant Iraq, a nuclear-ambitious North Korea and a US economy that refuses to spark.
ARTWORK BY LUDWIG ILIO
The month culminates with a United Nations assessment of Iraq's weapons programmes and the President's keynote State of the Union address.
But Mr Bush aims first to tackle the economy with stimulus initiatives worth up to US$600 billion (S$1 trillion).
Today, he is scheduled to meet his Cabinet as he hammers out the details of a plan he will unveil tomorrow that is centred on tax cuts beyond those enacted in 2001.
Political analysts say Mr Bush's re-election ambitions could hinge on his economic performance and Democrats are ratcheting up criticism of rising unemployment and falling stock values.
His father, former president George Bush, failed to win a second term mainly because of a sagging economy, despite prosecuting the 1991 Gulf War that was heralded as a success.
Mr Bush is also on the offensive on the military front, overseeing an intensifying troop buildup around Iraq.
'This war, like other wars, will not be won on the defensive,' he told soldiers at the Fort Hood Army base on Friday. He was referring to the war on terrorism he has linked to destroying President Saddam Hussein's alleged nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programmes.
The clock is running down for Mr Bush to decide whether to attack Iraq. By Jan 27, arms inspectors must submit a report on Iraq's compliance with UN disarmament demands.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan is mired in an unresolved conflict. In a symptom of Latin America's woes, Venezuela's President is threatening martial law to end deadly protests.
Arab-Israeli hostilities are greater than at any time since the 1993 peace process was launched. And Japan's economy is adrift, with ramifications for others in Asia.
Ever lurking in the background is the dangerous mix of Islamic extremism and terrorism, both of which are likely to be deeply affected by the administration's course in 2003. And Osama bin Laden is still on the loose.
'These are issues that were developing in the late 1990s, but what's new is the risk of all these quite different problems becoming acute crises simultaneously,' said Mr James Steinberg, director of foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution.
The current and probable crises of 2003 come in the critical third year of Mr Bush's presidency, which will shape the legacy of his term as well as the issues of elections next year, analysts predict.
Iraq is at the top of the list. What happens in the confrontation between Mr Bush and Mr Saddam is likely to have the biggest impact on America's international stature, as well as Mr Bush's standing at home, by year's end. --Los Angeles Times, Reuters