The Foreign Service Journal, February 2005

deputy, Steve Hadley, moving up to her old post as national security adviser, Rice will likely have much more influence over foreign policy than many expect. And with the confidence of the president, there’s no reason for her to walk in the shadows of Vice President Cheney or Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. Rice is intimately familiar with the administration’s foreign policy philosophy, having played a key role in its formulation. Thus, although she will have some daunting chal- lenges in front of her, like Iraq and the war on terrorism, Rice won’t have to spend time getting up to speed on the issues. The real challenge for her will be getting her arms around the Department of State — a much larger orga- nization than the National Security Council — and man- aging it. Thus, her choice of a deputy secretary will prove critical in allowing her to focus on the pressing issues of war and peace, while keeping the State Department’s bureaucracy hum- ming. After four years, she also knows who her likely allies are on an issue, and who her likely foes will be, as well. Depending on who stays for the second Bush term in the NSC, Rice may have a number of her for- mer colleagues as allies resident in the Old Executive Office Building. This will, undoubtedly, bolster her influence in the interagency process. She will need every one of those qualities and skills, for achieving stability in Iraq and Afghanistan, disman- tling Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programs, pursuing Middle East peace and fighting the war on terror just won’t wait for on-the-job training. n F O C U S F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 31 There is no question that Condoleezza Rice has big shoes to fill in replacing Colin Powell. But there is also no doubt that she is up to the task.