The world on his desk
A briefing for the weary winner from the man in charge of policy and planning at the State Department in 2001-03
AS GEORGE BUSH contemplates his second term, he faces far more challenges, and more difficult ones, than he did four years ago. The first reason for this is the objective state of the world, with a host of problems, from Iraq to North Korea to HIV/AIDS, demanding urgent attention. The second is the current condition of the United States. America remains the world's pre-eminent actor, but it is also stretched militarily, in debt financially, divided domestically and unpopular internationally. It all makes one wonder why Mr Bush seemed so keen to keep the job.
This article appeared in the By Invitation section of the print edition under the headline “The world on his desk”
By Invitation November 6th 2004
From the November 6th 2004 edition
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