At the beginning of the semester, the ‘cat and mouse’ game between the Bush Administration, Iraq and U.N. weapons inspectors was rolling along. It eventually peaked in March with the “decapitation attack” to begin Operation Iraqi Freedom and seemed to slow down 21 days later after U.S. forces entered Baghdad.

However, lately, the White House has shifted its focus back to politics and diplomacy, exchanging words with North Korea, rebuilding Iraq and laying the map for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Recently, Iraq has been filled with anti-occupation protesters, mostly consisting of Shiites. At least three protests have resulted in U.S. forces firing into the mobs after U.S. troops claim they were fired upon by individuals within the crowds.

“[U.S. forces] need to avoid unnecessary confrontation with protesters,” said Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, professor of political science at Saint Louis University.

“Guerilla forces are still hiding behind crowds, stirring them up,” said Timothy J. Lomperis, chair of the political science department at SLU, in reference to the Republican Guard and Fedayeen troops that slipped into the Iraqi population.

Lomperis finds talks in Baghdad between Iraq’s different ethnic groups to set up an executive government body as a major step toward building a new government.

Leguey-Feilleux also noted that if the U.S. were to work with the Arab League or other Arab nations within the United Nations, the path to a new Iraq may be smoother.

Also this week, Palestinians elected Mahmoud Abbas as their new prime minister. The action is considered to be a major step toward negotiating a peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

Recently, North Korea has made its way back in the headlines by announcing its nuclear capabilities, however, it is unclear how much of a threat these capabilities pose to the United States.

Lomperis finds the larger threat to be the possibility of North Korea’s weapons program sparking a nuclear arms race with Japan that could have a ripple effect throughout East Asia.

The Bush Administration is currently working with China and other nations to disarm North Korea diplomatically.