Dennis Ross\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 appointment was finally announced today. This appeared as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153press release\u00e2\u20ac\u009d on the State Department\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s website late this afternoon:<\/p>\n
Appointment of Dennis Ross as Special Advisor for The Gulf and Southwest Asia<\/p>\n
Robert Wood
\nActing Department Spokesman
\nWashington, DC
\nFebruary 23, 2009<\/p>\nThe Secretary is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis B. Ross to the position of Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for The Gulf and Southwest Asia. This is a region in which America is fighting two wars and facing challenges of ongoing conflict, terror, proliferation, access to energy, economic development and strengthening democracy and the rule of law. In this area, we must strive to build support for U.S. goals and policies. To be successful, we will need to be able to integrate our policy development and implementation across a broad range of offices and senior officials in the State Department, and, in his role as Special Advisor to the Secretary, Ambassador Ross will be asked to play that role.<\/p>\n
Specifically, as Special Advisor, he will provide to the Secretary and senior State Department officials strategic advice and perspective on the region; offer assessments and also act to ensure effective policy integration throughout the region; coordinate with senior officials in the development and formulation of new policy approaches; and participate, at the request of the Secretary, in inter-agency activities related to the region.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Ross brings a wealth of experience not just to issues within the region but also to larger political-military challenges that flow from the area and have an impact outside of the Gulf and Southwest Asia, and the Secretary looks forward to drawing on that experience and diplomatic perspective.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
There will no doubt be a wealth of commentary about what precisely this announcement will mean for Ross\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s future authority and influence. But, if you compare it with the way the Washington Institute for Near East Policy<\/a> (WINEP) advertised<\/a> it to its Board of Trustees early last month \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Ross will be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ambassador-at-large\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the secretary\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s top advisor on a wide range of Middle East issues, from the Arab-Israeli peace process to Iran\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it seems to fall significantly short. Short, that is, not just with respect to with the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153topness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of his status as Clinton\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s adviser, but also short in terms of his geographical scope since it appears his brief will be confined to the Gulf and Southwest Asia \u00e2\u20ac\u201d regions in which, contrary to the press release\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s words, he has very little, if any, direct experience. <\/p>\n
That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean Ross will not be influential in developing Iran policy, in particular, but his role seems to be a) strictly advisory, with no direct policy-making responsibility; and b) confined to the State Department, unless Clinton asks him to work with other agencies as well. His exclusive responsibility to the secretary \u00e2\u20ac\u201d there is no mention of any direct tie to the president or the White House \u00e2\u20ac\u201d stands as a rather dramatic contrast to both Special [Middle East] Envoy George Mitchell and Special [AfPak] Representative Richard Holbrooke whose authorities and responsibilities are linked explicitly linked to the White House, in addition to the secretary of state. That impression is naturally bolstered by the fact that Mitchell\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and Holbrooke\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appointments were announced in person by Obama, as well as by Clinton, and they will be reporting to the White House, in addition to the Secretary. <\/p>\n