The administration's special envoy to Sudan, retired Maj.
Gen. J. Scott Gration, may have more than his
fair share of critics in Washington, but according to a new Inspector General's
report, he enjoys not only a special relationship with President Obama but also
greatly expanded control over Sudan-related resources at the State Department.
The report describes Gration's shop as an example of the
consolidation of power at State among Secretary Hillary Clinton's various envoys and personal confidants, which
necessarily means taking personnel and responsibilities out of the hands of the
regional bureaus.
In some examples, such as the reported battle between Afghanistan-Pakistan
envoy Richard Holbrooke and
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher over who would control the bureau staff, the shift
of power has not gone down smoothly.
But the Sudan case is a positive example of cooperation, the
IG says, and represents a unique difference between Gration (who has come
under fire for his unique views on engaging Khartoum) and the four Sudan
envoys who came before him:
In previous years, notwithstanding the enormous efforts the
United States made to help in Sudan, there was questionable cooperation between
special envoys and assistant secretaries of the Bureau of African Affairs (AF)...
No sooner had
the President named the Special Envoy for Sudan, than the Department's way of
doing business in Sudan was reorganized. The old AF Sudan Program Group
(AF/SPG) was attached to the Secretary of State's office under a new title,
S/USSES. It includes not only Sudan policy but the Sudan desk and the
backstopping responsibilities that geographic desks have.
The IG's office also
sees benefits of consolidating power in the hands of Gration:
The institution of Special Envoys is something of a
breed apart in the Department, and they have far readier access to the
President and Secretary of State than that enjoyed by most ambassadors and
geographic assistant secretaries.
In
the case of previous Special Envoys for Sudan, and notwithstanding the enormous
efforts the United States made to help that country, there was questionable
cooperation between envoys and assistant secretaries.
But the IG
calls for Gration's shop to formalize the arrangement by producing a document
spelling out exactly how the Sudan desk, which now reports to him, should be
interacting with the Africa bureau, on the grounds that "it remains to be seen
how well the Sudan country desk can operate outside the geographic bureau."
And while the IG's office commends Gration's
office for its active pursuit of a resolution to the many crises in Sudan, the
report notes pointedly, "It is far too early to say whether energetic
diplomacy can sway the Sudanese Government."
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