Obama's New Top Foreign Policy Advisers Are Old Foes

President Barack Obama's promotion of Samantha Power and Susan Rice to two top foreign policy posts will force together old foes who sparred over policy decisions during the 1990s.

According to BuzzFeed, Power, a former Obama aide and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, blamed Rice, now U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a former Clinton national security adviser, for trying to ignore the Rwandan human rights atrocities in 1994 by avoiding use of the word "genocide."

But BuzzFeed said reports now suggest the two women have "become close," since both ended up strongly advocating for U.S. intervention in Libya.

Their position on Libya, some say, could unite the two in their approach to Syria if Power is confirmed by the Senate to take Rice's place at the U.N. Rice was appointed Wednesday afternoon as the new White House national security adviser, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.

"Susan and Samantha have an excellent personal and professional relationship, having worked closely together on a daily basis for the first four years of the Obama administration to promote and defend U.S. interests at the U.N. As has been documented extensively, they also have deep respect for each other," said Rice spokesperson Erin Pelton.