With the US Senate giving the green light to John Kerry's nomination in a lopsided vote on Tuesday, the Democratic Senator is set to replace Hillary Clinton as the country's top diplomat. How Kerry will make his mark on US foreign policy will be under close scrutiny.

Clinton's four-year term as the US Secretary of State had an inglorious ending last week when she gave testimony at a Senate hearing into the Sept 11 assault on the US mission in Benghazi, eastern Libya. The attack, which killed US Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, was perceived as a major diplomatic setback to the United States. It also aroused criticism at the US' Middle East policy.

In the past years, the Obama administration has resorted to intervention and sanctions as the world community sought to tackle major crises in the region, such as the ongoing Syria crisis, the Libya conflict and the Iranian nuclear standoff. It has taken an uncompromising stance toward other pivotal issues in the region too.