Some want Washington to maintain economic pressures to further weaken the Soviet empire and reduce a still existing military threat.

But some medical problems, such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), weaken the artery walls.

That raises concerns among independent arms experts that political pressures will weaken the panel.

Auditors may or may not be getting sharper, but pressures for good internal controls are weakening.

Certainly, other pressures weakened Eastern over the years, notably the competition brought by deregulation.

Lobbying pressure also weakened efforts to place controls on the sensitive software used to keep computer data and telephone communications secret.

Critics say pressure from politicians, bureaucrats and postmasters has already weakened the privatization bill.

However, on 11 February, the central pressure started increasing and the system gradually weakened.

The Chechen guerrilla war can never be won, but casualties are down and international human-rights pressure is weakening.

The low pressure eventually became occluded, weakened, and then continued to dissipate as it pushed east across northern Ontario in subsequent days.