Kushner’s talks as back-channel diplomacy explained

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Smart diplomacy or inappropriate and possibly illegal?

Jared Kushner’s reported attempt to establish a “back-channel” line of communication between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential transition team is proving divisive, even if such talks aren’t unusual.

Supporters of the president say it’s laudable that Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a trusted adviser, was working even before the inauguration to foster better relations with Russia.

Critics say it’s a matter of context and timing.

They call it a giant and arrogant step over the line – perhaps even treasonous – for a private citizen to try to set up covert communications with a hostile power such as Russia, particularly after U.S. intelligence agencies accused Moscow of trying to interfere in the 2016 election to help Trump.

Back-channel diplomacy refers to unofficial but direct, high-level communications that bypass formal channels, according to “Safire’s Political Dictionary.” These talks sometimes can help governments work through difficult problems and reduce tensions in lower-pressure settings away from the limelight. “They can be an incredibly effective tool in the diplomatic tool box,” says Richard Moss, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College and author of the book, “Nixon’s Back Channel to Moscow: Confidential Diplomacy and Detente.”

But Moss added that such channels “work best when they supplement rather than supplant traditional diplomacy.”

Back-channel talks have been common in U.S. diplomacy, especially when Washington lacks formal ties with another government it wants to speak with.

The Obama administration, for example, approved months of secret meetings between U.S. and Iranian officials to clinch an interim 2013 nuclear deal.

Kushner’s outreach, however, at a time of purported Russian meddling in the U.S. election, has fed accusations of Trump campaign collusion, which the FBI is investigating.