Those who found American foreign policy too aggressive and unilateral over the past four years had better get used to it. President George W. Bush's second term promises to bring more of the same - although slightly less of it.
The imminent departure of Secretary of State Colin Powell removes the administration's chief advocate of caution, moderation and traditional diplomacy. His replacement by National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice - Mr Bush's most trusted aide - will strengthen a top-level consensus which argues that some problems demand decisive US action, with or without allies and perhaps with force. With Dr Rice in charge, any State Department dissenters will have to fall in line or be ignored. By contrast, Mr Powell often tried, with limited success, to soften the administration's harder line.
Yet the pattern of the past four years will not be repeated exactly, even though the Bush doctrine of 'preventive war' will endure. Iraq is the first such war and - barring a clear and dire threat - is likely to be the last. It has stretched the US military so thin, proved so costly in blood and treasure, and remains so close to failure, that neither Congress nor the voters will tolerate another such war. Thus there will be renewed emphasis on multinational diplomacy to resolve nuclear issues with the other members of Mr Bush's 'axis of evil', Iran and North Korea, rather than a quick resort to force.
Here are some areas that will see both continuity and change in the coming four years. First, China. Sino-US relations are relatively good, although only Mr Powell repeatedly calls them the best in 30 years. Other policymakers, such as Vice-President Dick Cheney and Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, remain more sceptical about Chinese global ambitions. If State Department official John Bolton is promoted to the number two job there, as rumoured, they will be joined by someone whose basic attitude towards Beijing also lies somewhere between suspicious and hostile.
With so many problems elsewhere, the Bush team will try to keep China relations steady. But old issues, like trade and human rights, could sour things at any time, while a major blunder over Taiwan could bring unwanted conflict. That is partly because Chinese leaders keep dithering over whether their own Taiwan policy should take the hard or soft line.
Second, North Korea. There are signs that Dr Rice is edging towards direct talks with Pyongyang, complete with economic inducements, within the framework of six-nation negotiations, which are already under way. Mr Cheney and others would rather seek regime change, but have no obvious way to make it happen. A more engaged diplomacy would please China, Japan and South Korea, and polish America's image.