"... US isolation in the Security Council on the subject of new Israeli settlements shows thart there is very little change in US policy ..."

"... An altogether calmer aspect of the Washington landscape was the nomination of Senator John Kerry as Secretary of State. As a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a former Presidential nominee, it is not expected that he will encounter problems during his confirmation hearings. Kerry is a knowledgeable, dignified man with long experience of foreign affairs. He has moderate, down-the-middle view and has a calm temperament. He is unlikely to change the current trajectory of US foreign policy. His loyalty to Obama has been rewarded. Nevertheless, the reality big foreign policy decision-making power continues to reside with the White House. If, as some expect, present UN Ambassador Susan Rice becomes National Security Adviser, she would wield more influence in that position than as Secretary of State. The instance of the US isolation in the Security Council on the subject of new Israeli settlements shows thart there is very little change in US policy toward the peace process. On Syria, the Administration continues to be pulled – albeit very cautiously and fully aware of the risks – in the direction of a more activist intervention. In East Asia, Obama has exchanged calls with the new leaders in South Korea and Japan. US officials are keenly aware that nationalist instincts are being revived in the countries, both toward each other and in relation to China. With hopes for reform in North Korea, East Asia will absorb a greater amount of US attention in the coming months."