FLASH
Shkruar nga Daniel Serwer
The Balkans will be lucky if Grenell stays busy with Venezuela and North Korea. He came close to disaster there in the first Trump administration.
President Trump has announced that Richard Grenell will be the presidential envoy for special missions. Ric, he says, "will be working in some of the hottest spots around the world, including Venezuela and North Korea."
To my knowledge, this is a new job definition. In the past, presidents have often appointed special envoys for specific issues, not for "special missions" in general.
What has Grenell done in the past?
Grenell was notorious in the first Trump administration for not completing certain tasks. As ambassador in Berlin he had a terrible relationship with the Germans. Without discussing the issues privately, he criticized German companies publicly for doing business with Iran and Russia. As special envoy, Grenell tried to negotiate the breakup of Kosovo, transferring its Serb-majority northern municipalities to Serbia. That attempt failed. He then spent several months as a highly partisan but temporary director of National Intelligence. In that job, he declassified documents he thought would embarrass Democrats.
An openly gay man long before it was widely accepted in the US, Grenell has been politically volatile. He has worked for Mitt Romney, criticized Donald Trump and lobbied for Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orban. He did not register with the Department of Justice after signing a contract with Orbán.
Venezuela and North Korea
President Trump in his first term clearly failed in diplomacy with Caracas and Pyongyang. He recognized opposition candidate Juan Guaido as the legitimate President of Venezuela. He even introduced it as such during a State of the Union address. But he failed to make it stick. President Biden is in a similar situation right now. The US recognizes opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of the July presidential election. But Nicolas Maduro remains in power.
The first Trump administration also failed in its efforts to reach a deal with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Trump tried with threats and flattery to get Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons, but to no avail. North Korea is a de facto nuclear power with about 50 nuclear weapons. She also now has the fissile material needed to build at least 50 more. The Biden administration has made no progress on the nuclear issue. It has also been unable to prevent Pyongyang from helping Russia with missiles and other conventional weapons.
So Grenell is getting at least two tough portfolios. Venezuela may be easier, as Maduro looks weak and vulnerable. He allowed an election in which he was soundly defeated, but claimed victory and refused to leave office. Kim Jong Un did not make that mistake. But even seemingly strong regimes can be fragile and fall, as we have seen these past two weeks in Syria.
Good luck!
Good luck and timing are important factors in diplomacy. It is possible that Grenell will not fail this time. I wish you good luck. America would be better off if Maduro accepts the presidency in Venezuela and Kim Jong Un surrenders nuclear capabilities.
The Balkans will be lucky if Grenell stays busy with Venezuela and North Korea. He came close to disaster there in the first Trump administration. As of 2021, Grenell has been involved with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in hospitality investments in Serbia and Albania. It would be a grave abuse for him to be involved in the Balkans now. But in an administration that doesn't know what "conflict of interest" means, anything can happen. Kosovo and Bosnia would be victims. Ukraine should also consider itself lucky that it was not appointed as a "special mission" for them./ Adapted "Pamphlet" from "Peacefare"
Lini një Përgjigje