
Prospects for cooperation between the United States and Russia remain high. The U.S. Senate/Russian Council of Federations working group is an important step in realizing certain goals of cooperation.

Major oil producers in West Africa and Latin America can make an important contribution to US energy security, since they are not affected by the intractable problems of the Middle East. They have problems of their own, however, and to mitigate them, the U.S. should encourage transparency and democratic processes in the distribution of oil revenue.
Contrary to claims that the war on Iraq was the product of a vast conspiracy peddled by a small band of neoconservatives, history shows that, even under the Clinton administration, Iraq was perceived as a strategic threat due to Saddam's proven record of aggression and barbarity, his admitted possession of weapons of mass destruction, and the certain knowledge of his programs to build more.
A General Accounting Office investigation into the Defense Department's disposition of excess lab supplies revealed that the Pentagon is selling equipment usable for bio-terrorism, over the Internet at discount prices.

Looking ahead to the Bush-Putin summit, it is important to address the contrasts between Russia's remarkable economic improvements and its continued political repression and how this dichotomy impacts both sides' expectations.

Business leaders, government officials and military planners fret over China's potential to wreak havoc in the world. These anxieties are based on China's growing power; but the real threats it poses will spring from its weaknesses, not its strengths.