Trump appoints Turkey ambassador Tom Barrack as envoy to Syria: What to know
Tom Barrack's dual role is likely to give Trump more direct finger on the pulse of his Syria policy as the president has vowed to lift decades of US economic sanctions to give the country's people "a chance at greatness."
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has named Tom Barrack, the current US ambassador to Turkey, to be the State Department’s next special envoy for Syria.
“President Trump has outlined his clear vision of a prosperous Middle East and a stable Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors,” read a statement by Barrack published Friday by the US Embassy in Ankara.
“As President Trump’s representative in Türkiye, I am proud to assume the role of the US Special Envoy for Syria and support Secretary Rubio in the realization of the president’s vision.”
Why it matters: Barrack, a billionaire real estate investor with business ties in the Gulf, is considered to have a direct line to Trump.
His dual appointment places him in a strategic role at a key moment for potential US reengagement in the Levant.
In a surprise announcement in Riyadh last week, Trump vowed to lift decades of economic sanctions on Syria at the urging of regional leaders. The announcement short-circuited Washington’s planned policy process for phased sanctions relief, signaling urgency from the Oval Office.
The appointment of Barrack is likely to give Trump a direct finger on the pulse of Syria policy, which was plagued by internal wrangling during his first administration. Trump, who met with Syria’s de facto leader, former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander Ahmed al-Sharaa, last week, has signaled his intent to allow Turkey and Gulf states to take the lead on shaping Syria’s future.
Know more: The appointment of a new Syria envoy, a role designed to cut through the bureaucratic policy slog, is a sign of the administration’s renewed interest in engaging the region after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Joel Rayburn, a veteran Levant policy official who briefly served as Syria envoy at the end of Trump’s prior term, vowed to help the administration quickly lift sanctions during his Senate confirmation hearing last week to become the State Department’s top Middle East official.
In his statement on Friday, Barrack quoted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as having said, “The lifting of the sanctions opens up incredible opportunities around the region for all kinds of peace and security and the end of conflicts and wars.”
