Dr. Arthur Cyr: Role of Special Envoys

"Good diplomats make everything run smoothly," said Arthur Cyr, speaking at one of the Great Decisions Series lectures organized by the Center for International Education in cooperation with the Peace and Justice Center.Cyr, a distinguished professor at Carthage College, acclaimed author, vice president of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations and a former member of the faculty and international studies staff at University of California - Los Angeles, spoke to St. Norbert students and community members about the role of special envoys in today's modern political system and assessed some of the challenges they might be facing in the future.

Special envoys are government representatives deployed on a mission to advance the country's interest, work on resolving international conflicts or bring attention to a specific issue.

In order for diplomats to be instrumental in creating and fostering channels of global communication, work successfully toward conflict resolution and develop a global platform for further cooperation, they must act responsibly to avoid previous failures and acknowledge their blunders while highly valuing human life especially when working to resolve complex international issues, argued Cyr.

Emphasizing several points that are crucial to special envoys' success, such as personality, relationship with the country's president and the professional skills, Cyr said that "fame" can also be beneficial to a special emissary's duty and reputation.

This notion is reaffirmed by the recent example of former President Bill Clinton's efforts to rescue the hijacked American journalists from North Korea.

Being not just famous but also "very quirky and idiosyncratic" helps special emissaries in their negotiating and persuading efforts to win over the other side and claim a victory in a zero-sum negotiating game, said Cyr.

While in the past, a call to a country's foreign service was reserved for those from "reputable" backgrounds, Cyr argued that in today's egalitarian democracy, "anyone can be a diplomat."

"Some of the best special envoys have been our non-traditional people," said Cyr.

Reflecting on President Obama's team of special envoys, Cyr hailed them as being "very durable people."

He views George Mitchell, current special emissary to the Middle East, as a man with a challenging task of doing what many have failed to do in the past - reconcile Israelis and Palestinians. Mitchell's background as a "very successful democratic leader in the Senate," and someone who has brokered the peace between the British and the Irish, makes him suitable and qualified for the position.

Richard Holbrooke, currently the special representative to the troubled region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, is also another valuable emissary who has proven himself in the past by "getting a collection of criminals together at the peace table" which lead to the recent establishment of peace in the war-torn country of Bosnia, said Cyr.

Reminding and encouraging the crowd "to read [the books by] people you don't agree with, and less care for," he hoped to help widen their horizons and try to better understand the complex intricacies of global relations and world politics.