The curtain was dropped for the strident presidential election campaign on Nov. 3. George W. Bush, coming out a winner by a hairbreadth over John Kerry, the candidate of the Democratic Party, succeeded in reassuming the presidency for the next terms of office. Bush held the cabinet meeting on Nov. 4, discussing the work of the government for his next tenure of office. In view of the analysis by the US media, Beijing Youth Daily reports Bush will be confronted with nine big challenges after his successful re-assumption of the presidency and he won't be able to feel light in the work.  

Difficult plight in Iraqi war

The war in Iraq made Bush to escape by a hairbreadth from losing the presidential election campaign. So how to solve the thorny Iraqi problem has become a job of primary importance in his second terms of office for presidency. The Bush administration hasn't worked out any schedule of withdrawing the US army out from Iraq and obviously the situation in Iraq will be plunged into turmoil if the US army is going to pull out. However, the longer the US army stays there the more casualties it will continue to suffer and the stronger the suspicions and dislikes from the Arabic world. The strategy worked out by Bush administration is to curb the Iraqis by the Iraqis and let the new Iraqi government and the Iraqi security forces to combat the anti-US armed forces but judging from the present situation the strategy doesn't work so effectively as wished for.

Anti-terrorism warfare

The most decisive spot for Bush to have won the presidential election this time lies in his anti-terrorism warfare, which is also going to be an emphatic point for his administration in the next tenure of office. Now the US is still faced with a very great terrorist threat. Bin Laden, chief of the al-Qaeda made his appearance in the videotape show just a few days prior to the US presidential election, sending out an attack warning against the US. Therefore, whether it is possible for the US to avoid such terrorist attack as the "9.11" incident constitutes a very heavy pressure on Bush, the self-styled "anti-terrorist president."

To win the anti-terrorist war the Bush administration will adhere continuously to the "preemptive" strategy and launch a military attack at any moment on those the US considers as constituting a threat to it. Therefore, people are worried that it is quite likely for Bush to kick off a 3rd war like the wars in Afghan and Iraq in his second terms of office. And the US adjustment of military deployment on the globe will be carried out as scheduled though so far we still don't know whether Rumsfeld will get the chance to serve as secretary of national defense in Bush's new government.

Awkward predicament in diplomatic affairs

The "unilateral policy" carried out by the Bush administration has made the US traditional allies in Europe to grouch and in the new terms of his office Bush will try his best to improve his relations with France and Germany and other European countries. With regard to its Mid-east issue Bush supports Sharon's unilateral action plan but as how to push ahead the signing of the peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine he has so far no clear-cut plan for it. Bush's partial policy towards Israel has met with strong condemnation from the Palestine Autonomous Government and this is one of the reasons that bogged the Israeli-Palestine peace into the mire.

It's by no means difficult to foretell that the Bush administration will continue to solve the nuclear issue on Korean Peninsula by way of dialogues. It is expected that the six-party talks on the Korean Nuclear Issue will be carried on.

Energy resources crisis

For the moment, the prices of crude oil remain at a high level in the international market. This has already exerted some influence on the US economy, and so in his second terms of office Bush has to take measures to solve the oil price problem.

As analysts hold, it is quite likely for Bush to push ahead continuously the production of new energy resources while requesting the Congress to pass a law for encouraging the production of petroleum, coal and natural gas in the field for traditional energy resources. Bush may possibly appeal to the Congress allowing the oil companies to exploit the oil in the protective areas of the north-pole countries. But the suggestion has already incurred a strong opposition from the environmentalists. Nevertheless, due to Bush administration's refusal in using the oil reserve to contain the oil price it's still unfavorable for the lowering of the oil price.

Environmental problem

The international community has always been calling to the US to sign as soon as possible the Kyoto Protocol for restricting the emission of greenhouse gases. However, this has met with a flat refusal from the Bush administration. In his new terms of office, Bush will be confronted with the pressure from the international community. However, it seems that he will not give in.

Bush has his own plan as to the environmental problem of the US. He will try to make the Congress to pass a law, putting into practice a "clean sky" scheme and restricting the pollution of power-generating plants. However, there is no strict restriction on the emission of exhausted gases.

Intelligence reform

Bush kicked off the intelligence reform in his first terms of office and the reform of the intelligence system will be carried on in the 2nd tenure of office. However, Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security much favored by Bush will not be included in the new government and he will be quite likely to take up a post in a private enterprise. Therefore, Bush has to sort out as quickly as possible a suitable one to step into the shoes of the Secretary for Homeland Security.

Porter J. Goss, senator of the Republican Party who took up the post as director of the CIA last September, will stay on for sure. Goss decided to strengthen the collection and analysis of the intelligence and train more lingual experts. However, his status as a Republican has met with the query from the Democrats, holding that it is very hard for him not to be influenced by the party strife.

Legal limitation

After the happening of the "9.11" terrorist attack Bush administration passed by pushing through the Congress the USA Patriot Act, making the intelligence and the law execution departments to have more extensive powers in the anti-terrorist war. Though the act was much queried and doubted by many Americans yet Bush has already promised to carry it out and have it strengthened in his new terms of office or it will be unable to find out the terrorists within the US homeland. So far we still don't know whether Bush will keep Attorney General John Ashcroft, head of the Department of Justice, at the post.

Increase of job opportunities

The economic policy is a big "soft rib" in Bush's administrative terms, which suffered a serious attack from the Kerry's camp in the period of presidential election. During the past 4 years after Bush took up the post in the White House the Americans have lost some 821,000 job-opportunities. Though Bush administration has put forward a series of tax-reducing measures it is not very effective to push the economic growth ahead.

In Bush's new terms of office, he promised to carry on the plan for the reduction of taxes while measures are taken to encourage the investment and increase of export to stimulate the increase of job-opportunities and the growth of economy. But whether these measures can take any effect it is still unable to tell.

Supreme Court

In the power-framework of the US political system, the Supreme Court has a very big power. At the beginning of Bush's 2nd terms of office, several grand justices of the Conservative party in the Supreme Court are likely to retire. Bush has to find out some suitable ones to replace them, for these grand justices of the Conservative party are mostly the supporters for Bush administration. In addition, Bush must also find out an attorney to represent the government. Whereas before this the Chief Justice of the government has already resigned from his post and went to take up a more profitable job in a private sector.

(People's Daily November 10, 2004)