DURHAM, N.C. - The U.N. Security Council's vote Thursday to lift economic sanctions against Iraq illustrates how much the U.N. and the U.S. need each other, but challenges still lie ahead, say Duke University experts in international issues.

"Despite the differences so starkly revealed in the lead up to war, in peace our interests are much more closely aligned," says Frederick W. "Fritz" Mayer, associate professor of public policy studies and political science at Duke's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.

Mayer, an expert in economic globalization, is author of the book, "Interpreting NAFTA: The Science and Art of Political Analysis."

"The U.N. clearly wants to get back in the game by demonstrating its relevance to the reconstruction effort," Mayer said. "The U.S. needs the revenues that will now flow from oil exports to finance reconstruction."

Joseph Grieco, professor of political science, believes Thursday's vote was a good opportunity for members of the Security Council to re-establish a positive working relationship. But the United States will have to keep a close eye on France and Russia.

"France and Russia were important supporters of Saddam Hussein and his Baathist regime," said Grieco, who studies theories of international relations, issues of international political economy and international conflict. He is the author of "Cooperation Among Nations: Europe, America, and Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade."

"Those two countries may be tempted, for both political and commercial reasons, to try to preserve as much of the Baathist presence in Iraq as possible, even without Saddam. It is essential that that not happen, since Iraq's only hope for more democratic governance rests on the prior eradication of Baathism."

Mayer can be reached for additional comment at (919) 613-7338 or at fmayer@duke.edu. Grieco can be reached at (919) 660-4315 or grieco@duke.edu.