Of course, with less aid as leverage, the United States could lose influence in the region.
French officials said it was necessary to prevent Islamists from expanding their influence in the region.
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Hamilton says both countries have enormous influence in the region and a lot of impact in Iraq.
The Iraqi invasion brought about civil strife in the country, and increased the Iranian influence in the region.
President Chavez has in the past described the bloc as a counter to US influence in the region.
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They have seen their economic power and their influence in the region expand without the bureaucracy in Brussels.
They are intentionally acting in concert with U.S. adversaries in an effort to challenge American influence in the region.
EU, Russia's remaining influence in the region would be pushed back still farther.
That reflects those countries fears of the growing Shiite influence in the region.
The sapping of U.S. influence in this region has had wide-ranging ripple effects.
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Internationally, he was an outspoken advocate of Latin American unity and a staunch critic of US influence in the region.
Blues coach Dai Young has hailed Williams' influence in the region's charge into the EDF Energy Cup semi-finals and European quarter-finals.
Mr Cheney visited the UAE as part of a regional tour to rally support from Arab allies and counter Iran's influence in the region.
Down the road one can imagine a China that is all those things, and a positive influence on its region and on the world as well.
"But we're not yet there, like France for instance, that we use arms exports to get influence in a region or with an actor, " he added.
French Ambassador Pierre Vimont told members of the Middle East Institute at a recent luncheon that he thinks the West needs to recognize Iran's growing political influence in the region.
In the 19th century the battle over influence of Central Asia was described as the "Great Game" as the British and Russian empires vied for control and influence in the region.
While the United States, Russia and Iran struggle for economic or ideological influence in the region, the Caspian's fragile ecosystem is buckling under the hasty and disorderly expoitation of its resources.
Van Hooff briefly reviewed all the articles included in this issue which deal with oral tradition, linguistic diversity and the African influence in the region, all written by experts and prestigious intellectuals.
On Monday, the Bush administration announced a proposed weapons sale to Saudi Arabia as part of a Persian Gulf security strategy to counter threats posed by Iran's rising influence in the region.
For the U.S., the key to convincing those countries to act as an alliance is to make the case to them that there in danger from Iran's expanding influence in the region.
Both countries are members of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, a grouping of Central Asian nations that both China and Russia have been nurturing (with limited success) as a counterbalance to America's influence in the region.
Along with Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and some Caribbean countries, Chavez formed the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, or ALBA, a group intended to offer an alternative to U.S. influence in the region.
Although they signed a regional security plan designed to cover the next five years, some may have wondered, as do other Central Asians, whether the Russians may not be exaggerating the dangers of Islamic insurgency in order to regain lost influence in the region.
Ms. CONDOLEEZA RICE (U.S. State Department): To the degree that we hear from the Saudis and others that their biggest strategic concern is Iran, then they have a very strong incentive to help stabilize Iraq, so that Iraq is indeed a barrier to Iranian influence in the region, not a bridge.
Several high-rises are topped with domes and steeples in a nod to the Russian influence on the northeastern region known as Manchuria.
Moreover, the kingdom has more reason than ever to use cheque-book diplomacy in a bid to win friends and influence people throughout the region.
Some people in the region worry his influence could strengthen positions they feel are conservative, such as opposition to gay marriage, abortion, and sex education.
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