A new scapegoat - Dilip Hero

Abdullah's persistent divergence from Washington's policy in the region has annoyed the Bush administration. This is hardly surprising. Historically, the United States has always preferred pliant allies - particularly in the Third World.

What American decision makers fail to realise is that it is unrealistic to expect that to expedite their national agenda, regional leaders would instantly abandon their own deeply held views and prejudices, political and religious.

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