With the presidential contenders battling their way to the November elections and the war in Iraq grinding on, it takes something truly sensational — genocide or a violent hurricane — to grab headlines or top the agendas of campaigning politicians.
But foreign policy experts point to an array of brewing crises — outside Iraq — that the next president will have to face.
The relative silence on these issues is partly by design — in the run-up to elections, some issues are too politically sensitive to touch. Many have been eclipsed by the hot conflict and hot debate over Iraq. Other simmering problems have fallen dormant because the players await the outcome of U.S. presidential elections. But they won’t stay out of sight for long.
Click on the stories below for a look at some of these pressing issues.
