Analysis Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer announced Aug. 29 that a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States has become a "key third-term priority" for his government. Support for a deal is growing on both sides of the Pacific, as it would greatly enhance economic and political cooperation between the two allies. However, despite the fact that U.S. President George W. Bush recently received congressional approval for trade promotion authority -- giving him the power to negotiate trade deals that Congress cannot amend -- negotiations with Canberra will not proceed as quickly as they recently have with Singapore or Morocco. There are several obstacles in place that will prevent any deal from being finalized before 2005 or implemented before 2008. An FTA between Canberra and Washington would invigorate an already robust and friendly relationship. Australia was one of the first states to commit forces to the U.S. war on terrorism, as well as to the campaign in Afghanistan. Australia also has accepted the role of <America's deputy in the region http://www.stratfor.com/standard/analysis_view.php?ID=100377> and of the southern anchor in Washington's Asia-Pacific defense strategy. In addition, Canberra enjoys nearly unfettered access to U.S. military technology and intelligence. http://www.stratfor.com/fib/fib_view.php?ID=206025 A recent statement by the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration directly links illicit drug trafficking in the United States to Middle Eastern militant groups. The U.S. administration could use the issue to put more diplomatic pressure on Middle Eastern governments such as Syria and Iran. Analysis U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Asa Hutchinson told CNN Sept. 2 that money from illicit drug sales in the United States is being used to fund Middle Eastern militant organizations, including Lebanon-based Hezbollah. More than 130 people, many of them of Middle Eastern origin, reportedly were arrested earlier this year when authorities busted a methamphetamine ring in the Midwest. According to the CNN report, the DEA found that the alleged drug dealers had laundered millions of dollars in the United States and had wired the money to bank accounts connected to terrorist groups in Lebanon and Yemen. There are several possible motives behind Hutchinson's linking of Middle Eastern militants to drug trafficking, but in any case it could reshape both U.S. domestic and foreign policy. Hutchinson's comments may be part of an attempt by the DEA to reinvigorate the U.S. war on drugs -- as well as get more funds for anti-drug efforts in Colombia -- by tying terrorism to narcotics trafficking. Congress will come back into session soon and will begin deciding budget allotments. Since Sept. 11, many agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, have focused less on drug interdiction efforts in places like the Gulf of Mexico and more on homeland defense issues like port security. The DEA would like to see this attention shift back more toward drugs. Chaos and Neglect Dominate U.S. Agenda in Latin America Latin America still has not assumed high priority on the Bush administration's radar, despite previous pledges the president has made. Disorganization and confusion within the White House's Latin America team have left leaders in the region wondering who is in charge ...or what.