Colin Powell,
US Secretary of State

Born: New York City, US in 1937

Education: BSc, City College of New York, MBA, George Washington University

A moderate Republican, Mr Powell became the first African-American Secretary of State on January 20, 2001, rising from humble beginnings - in his own words - "a black kid living in a slum area in New York City".

He was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense between 1989 and 1993, under the administrations of George Bush and Bill Clinton. During this time, he orchestrated Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War.

Upon taking office in 2001, he stated his guiding principle of foreign policy will be that "America stands ready to help any country that wishes to join the democratic world."

His military experience shaped the Powell doctrine - which calls for the use of US military force only as a last resort and then only with overwhelming power.

The philosophy stems from Vietnam, Richard Betts, a professor of political science and international relations at Columbia University, says. "That affected his entire generation of military officers. [There was] a tremendous feeling of lives wasted for no purpose because of political confusion and they vowed never to let it happen again if they had anything to say about."

Mr Powell was the Bush administration's public and reassuring face in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Despite his dovish reputation, he was the first member of the administration to apply the term "war" to the campaign on terror. His experience gives gravitas to the administration's new internationalist outlook: "One message that leaps out from the events of September 11th is very clear. American leadership in foreign affairs has never been more important", he said.