In the game of political musical chairs that is the reshuffling of the Bush cabinet, President Bush has replaced Colin Powell, the outgoing secretary of state, with the current National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and in so doing, he’s effectively silenced the last of his critics and choked off the opposition. The outlook, it appears, is grim and hawkish.    

The British publication the Guardian unabashedly claimed that the replacement of Secretary of State Colin Powell with Condoleezza Rice signals the end of the moderate political voice and the beginning of an unrelentingly conservative administration. The Guardian announced:

“The Bush administration was stripped of its last dissenting voice of moderation yesterday when the secretary of state, Colin Powell, resigned and Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser who is known for her conservative instincts, was lined up to replace him.”

Sharing the Guardian’s unease with the appointment of Ms. Rice, Professor Juan Cole, an expert on Middle Eastern history at the University of Michigan, argues that under the stewardship of Ms. Rice, American foreign policy with respect to the Middle East will be seriously compromised. Professor Cole explains:

“Rice seems to me to have two major drawbacks as Secretary of State beyond her inability to challenge Bush’s pet projects. One is that she is an old Soviet hand who still thinks in Cold War terms. She focuses on states and does not understand the threat of al-Qaeda, nor does she understand or empathize with Middle Easterners, about whom she appears to know nothing after all this time. The other drawback is that she is virtually a cheerleader for Ariel Sharon and will not be an honest broker between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”

The hawks are now all lined up, ready for the kill, and American foreign policy for the next four years will be increasingly rigidly aligned with President Bush’s vision.

Mimi Hanaoka