While this lack of progress will not result in immediate air strikes, the lack of progress also means that the sanctions against Iraq will not be lifted. Both the U.S. and Britain are maintaining a military presence in the Middle East. Both France and Russia would like to see the sanctions against Iraq lifted. Expect the U.S. to bring Iraq up at the Summit and work to gain more of a consensus around what should be done to hold Saddam in check. Financial Institution Reform and Japanese Leadership Expect the US to bring their perspective of the Asian Crisis to the Summit with their ideas of how to avoid the problem in the future.
Most observers tend to think the worst of the Asian crisis is over.
The one last issue to address is Indonesia where the dictator leader is clinging to currency board concept to avoid the full impact of their economy's devaluation. Unlike Hong Kong, they probably do not have sufficient reserve capital to maintain their dollar. When there is enough international pressure, or they run out of capital, the too will need to reform their financial institutions. The second major area the US will focus on will be on Japan's leadership. The US feels that Japan should provide a stronger stimulus package with more tax cuts to encourage Japanese consumers to stop spending and start saving.