THE NEED TO CURTAIL THE USE OF U.S. SPECIAL ENVOYS AND SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES
Historically, Presidents periodically have sought to tap the expertise of high-level, experienced diplomats who can apply clout, perspective, and relationships to better resolve particularly challenging matters. Under the Obama Administration, however, there has been a proliferation of special envoys and representatives of relatively minor stature to address a host of issues great and small, narrow and expansive. As of 30 January 2015, they were 59 special envoys, special representatives, coordinators, special advisers, and other senior officials charged with leading numerous discrete issues. Some of these appointees focus on current crises, such as in Syria and Libya. Others, however, focus on broad thematic causes, such as global food security, international labor affairs, international disability rights, global youth issues, and climate change. Most of these senior officials are appointed by the President without need for Senate confirmation or consultation and, hence, little oversight and accountability to the American people. There are benefits of these political appointees: They can focus on discrete issues, they demonstrate executive branch dedication to the issue, they can circumvent existing lines of authority when there are disputes among agencies, and their special status can grant access not available to lower-level officials. However, these senior officials frequently see themselves as direct representatives of the Secretary or even the President with the authority to act outside of normal State Department lines of authority. This can foment tensions with the existing State Department bureaucracy with overlapping responsibilities, undermine the authority of U.S. Ambassadors, and create confusion for foreign governments as to who actually represents the President. Moreover, the proliferation of special envoys and other appointees is symptomatic of the dysfunction and dissatisfaction with the performance of the Department of State. If the President was confident in the ability of the State Department to address these matters effectively through the existing structure, there would be infrequent need for creating these types of appointments outside the core bureaucracy. More practically, the proliferation of special envoys and other senior appointments is duplicative and adds additional costs because even if they are unpaid, most require separate, additional funds for support staff, offices and equipment, travel, and other expenses. While these positions can be of use in some instances, they should not be used as an alternative to existing, but underperforming, options within the existing bureaucracy. Moreover, they should focus on immediate crises requiring intervention by a high-level presidential representative and should be eliminated upon resolving the current issue, or if progress is deemed unlikely or can be better or equally addressed through existing structures. The default option should be to assign responsibility to Ambassadors or officials whose responsibilities encompass or overlap with the matter at hand.
Special Advisors, Envoys, and Representatives (as of Jan. 30, 2015)
- Afghanistan and Pakistan, Special Representative
- Arctic, Special Representative
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), U.S. Senior Official
- Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) Issues, Special Representative
- Burma, Special Representative and Policy Coordinator
- Center for Strategic Counterterrorism, Coordinator
- Central African Republic, Special Representative
- Civil Society and Emerging Democracies, Senior Advisor
- Climate Change, Special Envoy
- Closure of the Guantanamo Detention Facility, Special Envoy
- Conference on Disarmament, Permanent Representative
- Commercial and Business Affairs, Special Representative
- Cyber Issues, Coordinator
- Department Spokesperson
- Faith-Based Community Initiatives, Special Representative
- Global Coalition against ISIL, Special Presidential Envoy
- Global Food Security, Special Representative
- Global Health Diplomacy, Special Representative
- Global Intergovernmental Affairs, Special Representative
- Global Partnerships, Special Representative
- Global Youth Issues, Special Advisor
- Great Lakes Region and the D.R.C., Special Envoy
- Haiti, Special Coordinator
- Holocaust Issues, Special Adviser
- Holocaust Issues, Special Envoy
- International Communications and Information Policy, Coordinator
- International Disability Rights, Special Advisor
- International Energy Affairs, Special Envoy and Coordinator
- International Information Programs, Coordinator
- International Information Technology Diplomacy, Senior Coordinator
- International Labor Affairs, Special Representative
- International Religious Freedom, Ambassador-at-Large
- Israel and the Palestinian Authority, U.S. Security Coordinator
- Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, Special Envoy
- Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism, Special Envoy
- Mujahideen el Khalq Resettlement, Special Advisor
- Muslim Communities, Special Representative
- Nonproliferation and Arms Control, Special Advisor
- Northern Ireland Issues, Personal Representative
- North Korean Human Rights Issues, Special Envoy
- North Korea Policy, Special Representative
- Nuclear Nonproliferation, Special Representative of the President
- Office of the Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations
- Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Special Representative
- Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Special Envoy
- Partner Engagement on Syria Foreign Fighters, Senior Advisor
- Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia, Special Envoy
- Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, Special Representative
- Sanctions Policy, Coordinator
- Science and Technology, Special Advisor
- Secretary Initiatives, Special Advisor
- Senior Advisor to the Secretary
- Six-Party Talks, Special Envoy
- Somalia, Special Representative
- Sudan and South Sudan, Special Envoy
- Syria, Special Envoy
- Threat Reduction Programs, Coordinator
- Tibetan Issues, Special Coordinator
- U.S. Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia, Coordinator
Add new comment