¡¡WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- After more than three years of deliberations, US President George W. Bush announced Monday that the United States would cut its troops stationed in Asia and Europe by 60,000 to 70,000 over the next decade.

    Bush did not provide details of the plan, but government officials said two-thirds of the troops would come from Europe, with most of them to return to the United States and some to be redeployed to East European countries.

    Analysts said that as part of a major realignment of its military strategy across the globe, this would be the most significant restructuring of the US forces overseas since the end of the Cold War, to accommodate changes and meet challenges in world politics and security since the Sept. 11 attacks.

    OPPORTUNITIES BROUGHT FORTH BY CHANGES IN GEOPOLITICS

    Soon after taking office in January 2001, the Bush administration began to consider making changes to the country's global military strategy. During a visit to Saudi Arabia at the end of April 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced the US decision to reposition its forces in the Gulf region. In June 2004, Washington announced that it would reduce its military presence in South Korea by 12,500 troops by the end of 2005.

    Analysts said drastic changes in world politics since the end of the Cold War have brought forth numerous opportunities and challenges, which have prompted the United States to decide to adjust its global military strategy.

    With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the United States has become the sole superpower in the world, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), instead of dissolution like the Warsaw Treaty Organization, has expanded eastward to include members of the former Soviet-led alliance. As a result, the strategic significance of Western Europe for the United States hasweakened.

    By taking advantage of the war in Afghanistan and on the al-Qaida network, the United States has found a foothold in Central Asia. With forward operating locations in north Africa, Middle East and Central Asia, the United States has developed the capability to respond rapidly to crisis that may occur in these areas.

    Since the end of World War II, the United States has maintained over 100,000 troops in Europe, with most of them stationed in Germany, to confront the Warsaw Treaty Organization. Relations across the Atlantic, however, have undergone significant changes, along with changes in world politics.

    Differences over the US-led war in Iraq deteriorated relations between the United States, and Germany and France, two of its traditional allies, and the war led to the emergence of what Rumsfeld termed a "new Europe" -- those East European countries that supported the Iraq war.

    Analysts said changes in relations across the Atlantic Ocean and the eastward movement of US strategic interests are also factors that contribute to the US repositioning of its troops in Europe.

    NEW THREATS PROMPT US TO REALIGN GLOBAL FORCES

    Analysts said the new threats, as demonstrated by the Sept. 11 attacks, have prompted the United States to restructure its military strategy, structure and weapons development, so as to ensure victories in asymmetric wars.

    Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States has deemed that overseas threats mainly come from terrorist activities and regional conflicts, and the new threats are indefinite, which makes it difficult for the US troops, which are built to handle traditional threats and enemies, to deal with. As a result, it hasbecome a priority of the Pentagon led by Rumsfeld to build an agile and flexible force, to meet the new threats in the 21st century.

    The view of the Pentagon leadership, according to analysts, is that the realignment of US forces across the world aims to better protect the Untied States and its allies from the new threats by enhancing the forces' rapid response capabilities.

    As the only world military superpower, the United States has the capability to dispatch its forces over long distances, and has drawn lessons from the Iraq war not to rely too heavily on bases in its traditional allies. At the initial stage of the Iraq war, Turkey refused to allow the United States to open a north front in Iraq from its territory, and Saudi Arabia also refused to let American planes to launch attacks in Iraq from bases within its territory.     

    IRAQ REMAINS CHALLENGE FOR BUSH IN REELECTION BID

    Bush said the Untied States plans to cut the troops in Europe and Asia in the next 10 years, and government officials said the plan would not become operational until 2006. Why the president announced the plan at this time has led many to wonder.

    The plan could gain Bush some applause from military families, but would not affect the some 150,000 US soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Bush's campaign has generally tried to change the subject away from Iraq, where some 930 American soldiers have died since March last year, to the war on terror and other issues on which Bush was regarded strong, and the announcement of the plan might be one of those efforts, analysts said.

    With the presidential elections less than three months away, most polls showed the race remained tight, with some giving Bush's Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry, a slight lead.

    A Zogby America poll released on Sunday showed the Kerry was more favored than Bush among likely voters when other presidential candidates were factored into the 2004 presidential race, and the Democratic presidential ticket of Kerry and North Carolina Senator John Edwards led the Republican ticket of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney 50 percent to 43 percent.

    Another poll, released last Thursday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, found the Democratic ticket was backed by 47 percent against 45 percent for the Republican team of Bush and Cheney.

    While Bush hopes to shift people's attention from the war in Iraq, it proves a difficult job as the recent surge in fighting there has instead attracted more attention to the instability of the situation despite of the power handover in June, analyst said.

    "Iraq is not an issue that's gone away by any means," Pew Research Center Director Andrew Kohut said. Enditem