U.S. Envoys to the Region

January 27, 2009

George Mitchell, Special Envoy for Middle East Peace

George Mitchell has had a long, distinguished and varied career in public service. He began as a lawyer in the U.S. Justice Department from 1960 until 1979 before becoming a federal district court judge. In 1980, Mitchell was appointed U.S. Senator from Maine. He was elected to full Senate terms in 1982 and 1988. While in the Senate, he was a member of the Select Committee on Iran-Contra and he voted against the resolution to enter the Gulf War in 1991. George Mitchell served as Senate majority leader from 1988 until 1994.

In 1996, Mitchell was appointed as President Clinton’s special envoy to Northern Ireland. As part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Mitchell developed the concept of ‘parallel decommissioning’ outlining a progressive disarmament to match political progress. In 1999, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor. From 2000-2001, Mitchell led the Sharm el-Sheikh International Fact-Finding Committee, which examined the breakdown of the peace process and the outbreak of violence in 2000. It recommended that Israel freeze settlement expansion, the Palestinians crack down on terrorism and that both sides agree to cease acts of violence unconditionally.

As special envoy for Middle East peace, Mitchell will be tasked with helping to formulate a strategy that protects Israel’s security while creating a sustainable and secure end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with two states living side by side, and promoting additional peace accords between Israel and its Arab neighbors as well as working to develop a program for humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction in Gaza. A State Department official said that Mitchell will work out of the State Department.

Richard Holbrooke, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan

Richard Holbrooke joined the Foreign Service in 1962 and served in Vietnam from 1963 to 1966. Holbrooke was a member of Averell Harriman’s delegation at the 1968-69 Paris Peace talks on Vietnam. He also served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs from 1977 to 1981 and U.S. ambassador to Germany in 1993 and 1994.

As assistant secretary of state for European and Canadian affairs from 1994 to 1996, Holbrooke was the chief architect of the Dayton Peace Agreement. The 1995 agreement ended fighting in Bosnia and created two Bosnian entities (the Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation) to function within one overarching government. He was later nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Holbrooke served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 1999 to 2001.

As special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Holbrooke will have the authority to coordinate between various agencies within the government to implement an integrated approach to Afghanistan and Pakistan.



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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

08/20/10
Center for American Progress Welcomes Resumption of Direct Talks  —
08/10/10
A View from the Ground  —Darbaz Kosrat Rasul, chair, Rebaz Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
08/03/10
U.S.-Turkish Relations  —Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr., recently returned deputy ambassador in Afghanistan; former ambassador to Egypt (2005-2008); and deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires in U.S. embassy in Turkey (1995-1999). Congressional Testimony.

Setting the Record Straight

Eye Still on the Ball

“Adverse developments in Iraq will be (and will look to be) increasingly a function of the Obama Team taking their eye off of the ball and rushing to declare mission accomplished. Yes, in such a scenario the Iraqis should bear most of the blame, but the part that is due to U.S. action or inaction will be Obama's responsibility. And it will matter. Iraq is at the center of a region that every president since Jimmy Carter has identified as vital to our national security. Iraq is next door to, and the playground for mischief from, the most thorny national security challenge the United States faces: a nuclear-weapons-seeking Iranian regime. These inconvenient facts mean that if the Iraqi situation demands more focused and costly U.S. attention, it will likely get it. At that point, what sort of domestic coalition will be available for President Obama's Iraq policy?”
—Peter Feaver, director, Triangle Institute for Security Studies; former director for defense policy and arms control, National Security Council, “Obama’s Iraq Speech: Another Missed Opportunity,” Foreign Policy, August 3, 2010versus
  • “Iraq is a strategically important place in the Middle East, just by its geographic location, by its population, by the influence it's had in the Middle East for a long time. So neighboring countries from around the Middle East have an interest inside of Iraq.

    “But I will tell you that I think Iraqis themselves are nationalistic in nature, and that's why it's important. A strong Iraq will defend itself against interference from outside countries, and I think as we build a strong Iraq and as we continue to build a strong security mechanism and as we continue to help them economically and diplomatically, that will make it less likely of others from the outside being able to interfere.

    “Now, for the vacuum as we see today, again, I remind everyone is that we still have a significant presence here, and we are not going to—we will not allow undue maligned influence on the Iraqi government as they attempt to form their government. What we're trying to do is provide them the space and time for them to do that, and we will continue to do that post 1 September. We'll still have a significant civilian presence, and again, we'll still have 50,000 troops on the ground here to ensure that this government can be formed by the Iraqis. And that all the other nations respect their sovereignty as they go about forming their government.”
    —General Ray Odierno, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, interview, “This Week” with Christiane Amanpour, August 8, 2010

    • Middle East Analysis

    Upcoming Events

    The Road Forward on Middle East Peace

    Event: October 1, 2009 - 12:00pm-1:00pm

    Introduction:
    Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs, Center for American Progress

    Featured speaker:
    Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)

    Moderated by:
    Moran Banai, U.S. Editor of Middle East Bulletin

    WATCH HERE