United States President George W Bush will leave a ''daunting'' array of challenges for the next US president, ranging from the Iraq war to the economy, political analysts say.

Mr Bush has insisted he has plenty of unfinished business for his last year in office but he will leave some serious challenges for his successor in January, 2009.

The next president will need to chart a course for the Iraq war, navigate an increasingly tense relationship with Iran and grapple with political turbulence in countries such as Pakistan.

A worsening budget outlook, the expected lingering effects on the US economy of mortgage and credit crises as well as the rising cost of health care are just a few of the domestic issues that will immediately confront Mr Bush's successor.

William Galston, a scholar at the Brookings Institution think tank says the United States is facing an "arc of crises" extending from Lebanon and the Palestinian territories through Iraq, Iran and Pakistan.