US president George Bush’s authority in world politics has been weakened by the Democrats’ sweeping gains in the mid-term elections, analysts said on Wednesday, with some fearing countries such as Iran and North Korea could exploit his new weakness.

“If Mr Bush is seen [internationally] as the loser today, then many countries might see it as their chance” to stand up to Washington, according to John Hulsman, a US expert and visiting scholar at Berlin’s DGAP foreign affairs think tank.