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)

  1. Afghanistan and Pakistan, Special Representative
  2. Arctic, Special Representative
  3. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), U.S. Senior Official
  4. Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) Issues, Special Representative
  5. Burma, Special Representative and Policy Coordinator
  6. Center for Strategic Counterterrorism, Coordinator
  7. Central African Republic, Special Representative
  8. Civil Society and Emerging Democracies, Senior Advisor
  9. Climate Change, Special Envoy
  10. Closure of the Guantanamo Detention Facility, Special Envoy
  11. Conference on Disarmament, Permanent Representative
  12. Commercial and Business Affairs, Special Representative
  13. Cyber Issues, Coordinator
  14. Department Spokesperson
  15. Faith-Based Community Initiatives, Special Representative
  16. Global Coalition against ISIL, Special Presidential Envoy
  17. Global Food Security, Special Representative
  18. Global Health Diplomacy, Special Representative
  19. Global Intergovernmental Affairs, Special Representative
  20. Global Partnerships, Special Representative
  21. Global Youth Issues, Special Advisor
  22. Great Lakes Region and the D.R.C., Special Envoy
  23. Haiti, Special Coordinator
  24. Holocaust Issues, Special Adviser
  25. Holocaust Issues, Special Envoy
  26. International Communications and Information Policy, Coordinator
  27. International Disability Rights, Special Advisor
  28. International Energy Affairs, Special Envoy and Coordinator
  29. International Information Programs, Coordinator
  30. International Information Technology Diplomacy, Senior Coordinator
  31. International Labor Affairs, Special Representative
  32. International Religious Freedom, Ambassador-at-Large
  33. Israel and the Palestinian Authority, U.S. Security Coordinator
  34. Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, Special Envoy
  35. Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism, Special Envoy
  36. Mujahideen el Khalq Resettlement, Special Advisor
  37. Muslim Communities, Special Representative
  38. Nonproliferation and Arms Control, Special Advisor
  39. Northern Ireland Issues, Personal Representative
  40. North Korean Human Rights Issues, Special Envoy
  41. North Korea Policy, Special Representative
  42. Nuclear Nonproliferation, Special Representative of the President
  43. Office of the Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations
  44. Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Special Representative
  45. Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Special Envoy
  46. Partner Engagement on Syria Foreign Fighters, Senior Advisor
  47. Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia, Special Envoy
  48. Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, Special Representative
  49. Sanctions Policy, Coordinator
  50. Science and Technology, Special Advisor
  51. Secretary Initiatives, Special Advisor
  52. Senior Advisor to the Secretary
  53. Six-Party Talks, Special Envoy
  54. Somalia, Special Representative
  55. Sudan and South Sudan, Special Envoy
  56. Syria, Special Envoy
  57. Threat Reduction Programs, Coordinator
  58. Tibetan Issues, Special Coordinator
  59. U.S. Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia, Coordinator

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