"Each country has to deal with its own domestic constituencies," a senior Western diplomat said.

But with a eye to world opinion and domestic constituencies, both sides continued to say how much they wanted to complete a treaty this year.

Both the Israeli leader and the Syrian foreign minister had to return home to test the temperature of their domestic constituencies.

The Japanese government was sensitive to political pressures from important domestic constituencies that would be hurt by greater openness.

Politicians are responding to a domestic constituency; they are answering to an international one.

Foreign aid has little domestic constituency, and is a favorite foil for politicians.

"They have their strong domestic constituencies and we have ours," a Japanese trade official said.

Congress has also proven reluctant to provide large-scale economic aid or to make trade concessions that would extract a price from domestic constituencies.

None of our domestic constituencies give us an easy ride.

But they are wary of their domestic constituencies.