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