Foreign policy may get tough

President George W. Bush on Tuesday nominated Rice to move from national security adviser to secretary of state in one of the biggest changes of his new term.

But experts and the US media have emphasised the differences in style, temperament and political leanings of the new secretary of state and her predecessor.

Both have made landmark strides for American-Africans in the US government, but the similarities end there.

Rice, a 50-year-old high-flying academic with an outwardly stern allure, is close to Bush, who has led a go-it-alone policy in key areas such as Iraq. Powell, 67, is a retired four-star general who prefers a diplomacy mixing alliances and negotiation.

Bush said in nominating Rice that she will take office "at a critical time for our country" as it tries to sort out Iraq and fight the war on terrorism.

And Rice, with Bush at her side, signalled her strong support for the actions of the first Bush administration.

"Under your leadership, America is fighting and winning the war on terror," Rice said.

"You have marshalled great coalitions that have liberated millions from tyranny, coalitions that are now helping the Iraqi and Afghan people build democracies in the heart of the Muslim world. And you have worked to widen the circle of prosperity and progress in every corner of the world."

Experts said major changes in style now loom.

"Colin Powell was the only real voice of moderation in the first Bush term, and his departure suggests that US foreign policy will be even more assertive and aggressive, if for no other reason than the advocate for traditional foreign policy will no longer be heard," said Jon Wolfsthal, a foreign policy specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank.