This publication is now archived. How much authority can Iraq’s interim government exercise?President Bush said May 24 that the interim Iraqi government taking over for U.S-led occupying authorities …

Experts say the United States, overstretched militarily and diplomatically in the Middle East, needs to refocus its Asia-Pacific strategy to reverse a slide in its influence over the region.

Whether to engage heads of rogue states, a perennial foreign policy dilemma, has emerged in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign.

Iraq’s Shiite leadership finally selects a candidate for prime minister to replace the embattled Ibrahim al-Jaafari. But experts are not impressed with the new candidate’s credentials.

Western efforts to rebuild Iraq have focused on military and political progress but revival of civilian infrastructure lags badly.