The U.S.presence,Mr.Obama said, will shift from military to civilian leadership, with a focused mission of training Iraqi forces, counter-terrorism operations, and protecting U.S.civilian and diplomatic personnel.

VOA: standard.2010.08.02

Despite Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's campaign rhetoric, which signaled a possible Japanese shift away from Washington, he and President Barack Obama said their countries' long-standing alliance will continue.

VOA: standard.2009.09.23

The alleged use of special operations troops in the raid could signal a shift away from the controversial U.S.tactic of relying on long-range missile assaults to take out terrorist targets.

VOA: standard.2009.09.15

A rebound is expected in 2010, but the US government predicts a shift in the makeup of foreign visitors, with arrivals from Asia and South America growing by double digits.

VOA: standard.2010.05.04

Paul Pillar,a former senior CIA intelligence officer now with Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, favors a shift away from direct combat operations to a concentration on training Afghanistan's army and police, and economic development.

VOA: standard.2009.10.15