Dennis Ross’s broad portfolio

By Peter Feaver

I was wrong (and lots of people are adding, "again"). It turns out that Dennis Ross will not be taking up the strategic planning portfolio, as I had previously thought, but will instead take up the broader Middle East portfolio. The wiring diagram is not clear from afar (and may not even be clear from close up) but it looks like he will have a position more like a combination of the roles filled by Elliott Abrams, who covered everywhere the "Near East and North Africa" from Morocco to Iran (but not Iraq), plus Meghan O’Sullivan, who had Iraq and Afghanistan. He also has Pakistan, and so that gives him a remarkably broad regional portfolio that encompasses the two hot war military conflicts plus arguably the most urgent national security problem (Iran). It encompasses the portfolios of two formidable Special Envoys housed at State — George Mitchell (Israel-Palestine) and Richard Holbrooke (Af-Pak). It also, quite deliberately I suspect, matches almost exactly the portfolio of General Petraeus, CENTCOM commander. That is a lot of grist for one mill, and more world-historical-figures than most mortals could hope to coordinate. But Dennis has formidable talents and will, I believe, work well with Tom Donilon, the deputy national security advisor who is said to have been the one most keen to bring him on board. So I think it will work out well. For my part, I will be interested to see how all these people coordinate with the Global Engagement Directorate which struck me as an intriguing office when it was announced (especially for the region that comprises Dennis Ross’s portfolio)  but which, so far as I can tell, is still in the process of getting its sea legs.

As for my old post on the NSC’s strategic planning cell, I now believe it is being filled by Ambassador Mary Yates. She has a long and distinguished record of public service. She is a career Foreign Service Officer with an extensive career with emphasis on Africa. She most recently served as the senior civilian advisor at the new military command of AFRICOM. This experience of close coordination with the uniformed and civilian sectors of the Department of Defense — at the intersection of policy and operations – will be valuable for her in her new post. The key to succeeding in the strategic planning office lies in establishing close working relationships vertically with the top people — Jones and Donilon — and horizontally with the other heavyweights at the NSC — likely to be Ross and McDonough – and diagonally with the other key offices in the White House. If Ambassador Yates can do that, the office has the potential to make useful contributions to the system. The Obama administration likes to think big about domestic and foreign affairs and so it is a good time to be sitting in the "big think" chair.