Dr. Rice to become face of US at UN

An ex-National Security Council member and former assistant secretary of state, Susan Rice brings the resume of a Rhodes Scholar-turned-diplomat to the team as she becomes the US face at the United Nations.

The Washington-bred Rice -- no relation to outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- served as member of the national security council during the administration of president Bill Clinton.

She worked as a top foreign policy advisor to the campaign of president-elect Barack Obama prior to her latest appointment; indeed despite far-reaching ties to the Clinton administration, she joined Team Obama when Hillary Clinton was widely seen as frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

Obama's selection of a close ally Rice to represent the United States at the world body may be a sign of how the incoming administration will prioritize strained US-UN ties.
Susan Rice, who received her doctorate from Oxford University in England, and who served as an Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, has had some on-the-job experience with Al-Qaeda. She was top US diplomat for African issues during the 1998 terrorist bombings of embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. continue reading