"Why Special Envoy to the UK?"...Confused Concern Over Trump's Nomination of Special Envoy for 'Rags'

U.S. President-elect Trump appointed a number of special envoys to deal with diplomatic issues in various parts of the world, raising concerns that it could cause confusion due to overlapping work.

Politico, a U.S. political media outlet, said the appointment of special envoys so far is likely to cause confusion in communications with international partners, noting that some special envoy positions could be "decorations" with little authority.

He also predicted that as the duties of the envoys overlap with the roles of existing State Department officials or ambassadors, internal conflicts could arise over who will do what.

On the 22nd (local time), Trump nominated former president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Mauricio Claver-Curron as the State Department's special envoy for Latin America.

A day earlier, he appointed Mark Burnett, a producer of the TV show The Apprentice, who served as a springboard for his political leap, as his special envoy for Britain.

On the 14th, Richard Grinnell, former ambassador to Germany, was appointed as a special envoy for "special missions" including North Korean affairs.

In addition, Keith Kellogg, a former military general, was selected as the special envoy for Ukraine-Russia and Steve Witkov, a real estate businessman, as the special envoy for the Middle East.

It is pointed out that special envoys are usually assigned roles by ambassadors, assistant secretaries of state, and White House National Security Council staff, or that overlapping work is inevitable because the roles themselves are often ambiguous.

For example, Trump nominated Grinnell and introduced him as "in charge of some of the hottest areas in the world, including Venezuela and North Korea."

However, it is unclear how Grinnell and Latin American special envoy Claver-Curron will coordinate their work.

There are also doubts about the need for a special envoy to Britain, which is the biggest ally of the United States and has no immediate sensitive conflict issues.

Appointment of a special envoy usually requires Senate confirmation, but if certain procedures are followed in Congress, the special envoy can be appointed without Senate approval for up to a year.A U.S. official who

said Trump is "creating a maze of competitive portfolios," adding, "It will produce little results, and there will only be more power struggles or internal conflicts."