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The Balkans will be lucky if Grenell is busy with Venezuela and North Korea

2024-12-17 18:35:25Pikëpamje SHKRUAR NGA DANIEL SERWER
The Balkans will be lucky if Grenell is busy with Venezuela and North Korea
Rick Grenell

By Daniel Serwer*

President Trump has announced that Ric Grenell will be the presidential envoy for special missions.

"Ric will work in some of the hottest spots around the world, including Venezuela and North Korea," he said.

To my knowledge, this is a new definition of the job. In the past, presidents have often appointed special envoys for specific issues, not for “special missions” in general.

What has he done in the past?

Grenell was notorious in the first Trump administration for bluffing on several assignments. As ambassador to Berlin, he had terrible relations with the Germans. Not discussing matters privately, he criticized German companies that did business with Iran and Russia. As special envoy, Grenell tried to negotiate the partition of Kosovo, annexing Serbia’s Serb-majority northern municipalities. That effort failed. He then spent several months as the multi-partisan, but interim, director of national intelligence. In that job, he declassified documents he thought would embarrass Democrats.

Grenell, who was openly gay long before it was widely accepted in the United States, has been politically unstable. He has worked for Mitt Romney, criticized Donald Trump and lobbied for Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orban. He did not register with the Justice Department after signing a contract with Orban.

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 him as such during a State of the Union address. But he failed to do so. President Biden is in a similar situation 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 an agreement 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. It now has the material to build at least 50 more nuclear weapons. The Biden administration has also made no progress on the nuclear weapons issue. It has been unable to prevent Pyongyang from helping Russia with missiles and other conventional weapons.

So Grenell is taking on at least two tough portfolios. Venezuela may be easier, as Maduro appears weak and vulnerable. He allowed an election in which he was soundly defeated, but declared victory and refused to step down. Kim Jong Un has not made that mistake. But even seemingly strong regimes can be fragile and fall, as we have seen in Syria these past two weeks.

Good luck!

Luck and timing are important factors in diplomacy. It is possible that Grenell will not fail this time. I wish him good luck. It would be better for America if Maduro accepted the presidency of Venezuela and Kim Jong Un gave up his nuclear capabilities.

The Balkans will be lucky if Grenell is busy with Venezuela and North Korea. He came close to causing a disaster there during the first Trump administration. Since 2021, Grenell has been involved with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in hotel investments in Serbia and Albania. It would be a grave abuse for him to get involved in the Balkans now. But in an administration that doesn’t know what “conflict of interest” means, it could happen. Kosovo and Bosnia would be victims.

Ukraine should also consider itself lucky that it was not considered a "special mission."

*Peacefare.net


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