The replacement of Secretary of State Colin Powell by National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is apparently the most important reshuffle in the US government, which is believed to herald a foreign-policy direction that President George W. Bush is to take in his second term.  

Bush officially nominated Rice as the new chief of the State Department on Tuesday.

There is no surprise to see Powell's resignation as the top US diplomat announced long before the presidential election on Nov. 2 that he would not seek to continue working in Bush's second term.

Analysts said the departure of Powell will pave the way for Rice to join hands with Bush in carrying out the ongoing hard-line US foreign policy.

The nomination of Rice gives a signal that Bush is comfortable with his performance in the foreign policy over the past four years and sees little need to drastically shift course.

After the 9/11 terror attacks, the Bush administration has embraced an aggressive foreign policy, which advocates "preemptive strike" and unilateralism.

The replacement of the moderate Powell by Rice tells the world that Bush will continue his hard-line foreign policy. The judgment has been shared by outgoing Powell who told Financial Times recently that Bush will carry out his aggressive foreign policy in his second term, and take unilateral action whenever it is necessary.

Rice is described by the American media as "an unquestioned Bush loyalist" and "a virtual member of the president's family."

Her assignment to the State Department will undoubtedly build closer links between the department and the White House. It has been an open secret that during Bush's first term, the State Department and the Defense Department headed by hawkish Donald Rumsfeld have different views over, among others, the Middle East affairs like the war in Iraq and the nuclear issues of Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The appointment of Rice is expected to make it possible to avoid unnecessary contradiction between the two key departments, and to make it easier for Bush to mediate the disputes if there is any.

The latest appointment is well received by the US conservative and hard-liners.

"Condi (Rice) knows what the president wants to accomplish and agrees with it," said Gary Schmitt, director of the Project for the New American Century, a think tank that frequently reflects the views of hard-liners in the Bush administration.

An article published by the Washington Post said the elevation of Rice "would mark the triumph of a hard-edged approach to diplomacy espoused by Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld."

Analysts pointed out that Rice, who was specialized in Russian affairs, will unavoidably face a series of knotty problems -- to complete missions in post-war Iraq, to reinvigorate Israel-Palestine talks, and to promote the settlement of nuclear issues in Iran and the DPRK.

All of those will demand better relations and cooperation between the United States and its transatlantic allies.

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2004)