Realist: news and analytics

Русский/English/العربية

  • News
  • Russia
  • Caucasus
  • Opinion
  • Interviews
  • Experts
No Result
View All Result
Realist: news and analytics
  • News
  • Russia
  • Caucasus
  • Opinion
  • Interviews
  • Experts
No Result
View All Result
Realist: news and analytics

Tom Barrack appointed U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, backs Trump’s Middle East reset

Former ambassador to Turkey takes on new diplomatic role amid major shift in U.S. Syria policy.

   
May 24, 2025, 09:29
World
Tom Barrack

Tom Barrack

WASHINGTON (Realist English). Tom Barrack, the former U.S. ambassador to Turkey and longtime confidant of President Donald Trump, announced on Friday that he has been appointed U.S. Special Envoy for Syria. In a statement posted on X, Barrack said he was honored to support Secretary of State Marco Rubio in implementing Trump’s vision for “a prosperous Middle East and a stable Syria.”

“President Trump has outlined his clear vision of a prosperous Middle East and a stable Syria at peace with itself and its neighbours,” Barrack wrote. “As President Trump’s representative in Türkiye, I am proud to assume the role of the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria.”

The announcement follows Trump’s surprise declaration in Riyadh last week, where he announced a full lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, framing it as an opportunity to “give them a chance at greatness.” Trump also met with Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president, and described him as “impressive.”

Barrack elaborated on the policy shift: “The cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary objective — the enduring defeat of ISIS — and will give the people of Syria a chance for a better future. Together with regional partners, including Türkiye and the Gulf, we are enabling the Syrian government to restore peace, security, and the hope of prosperity.”

Possible reopening of U.S. embassy in Damascus

According to Reuters, Barrack participated in a high-level meeting between U.S. and Turkish officials at the State Department on Tuesday, where counterterrorism cooperation and Syria sanctions were key topics. That same day, Secretary Rubio confirmed that the U.S. is considering reopening its embassy in Damascus, which has been closed for over a decade.

“We don’t have an embassy in Syria — it’s operating out of Turkey — but we need to help them,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He emphasized that the primary obstacle remains security threats from non-state armed groups, not from the new transitional authorities.

Rubio said U.S. embassy personnel in Ankara would work directly with Syrian officials to assess reconstruction and governance needs. “It’s entirely driven by security concerns,” he noted.

Who is Tom Barrack?

Barrack, 78, is a private equity magnate of Lebanese descent whose grandparents immigrated to the U.S. over a century ago. He is best known as the founder of Colony Capital and a close Trump ally, having chaired the president’s 2016 inaugural committee. His longstanding business connections include partnerships with Gulf sovereign wealth funds such as the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Qatar Investment Authority.

Barrack has maintained deep ties to both the Trump Organization and the broader Middle East investment landscape since the 1980s.

Legal controversies and acquittal

Barrack’s new appointment comes two years after his acquittal in a high-profile federal case. In 2021, he was arrested and charged with acting as an unregistered agent for the UAE, obstructing justice, and making false statements to federal investigators. Prosecutors alleged that Barrack had used his access to Trump to promote the UAE’s foreign policy agenda, as first reported by Middle East Eye in 2018.

In 2022, a federal jury in Brooklyn cleared Barrack of all charges, concluding that he had not acted improperly or misled authorities. Throughout the proceedings, Barrack denied any wrongdoing and maintained that his actions were lawful and transparent.

Tom Barrack’s return to diplomatic prominence marks a new phase in U.S. policy toward Syria, one defined less by punitive isolation and more by regional reintegration and realpolitik. With sanctions lifted and a reopening of the U.S. embassy under consideration, the Trump administration appears to be signaling a strategic reset — prioritizing stability over regime change. Barrack’s appointment, given his personal ties and business acumen in the region, is not just symbolic; it positions him as a key architect of Washington’s post-conflict engagement strategy in Syria.

Middle EastSyriaUnited StatesUS Foreign Policy
Previous Post

Trump and Rubio move to dismantle National Security Council

Next Post

Turkey finds new route to pay for Russian gas as U.S. sanctions waiver expires

Related Posts

Japan calls China’s expanding military operations its ‘greatest strategic challenge’
World

Japan calls China’s expanding military operations its ‘greatest strategic challenge’

15 July, 2025
Taiwan’s military trains in metro stations and city streets as Han Kuang drills enter urban phase
World

Cameroon’s 92-year-old president Paul Biya announces bid for eighth term

15 July, 2025
Orban under pressure: Hungary’s ‘illiberal democracy’ faces a centre-right challenger
World

Orban under pressure: Hungary’s ‘illiberal democracy’ faces a centre-right challenger

14 July, 2025
Orban under pressure: Hungary’s ‘illiberal democracy’ faces a centre-right challenger
World

Iran slams Netanyahu over missile remarks, calls Israel’s war aims a failure

14 July, 2025
Trump’s 30% tariffs ignite EU backlash and threaten trade war escalation
World

China deepens strategic ties with Egypt amid Middle East tensions and global realignments

13 July, 2025
Trump’s 30% tariffs ignite EU backlash and threaten trade war escalation
World

Erdoğan hails ‘new page in history’ as Kurdish militants begin disarmament

13 July, 2025
Most Popular
Most Popular
Orban under pressure: Hungary’s ‘illiberal democracy’ faces a centre-right challenger

Iran slams Netanyahu over missile remarks, calls Israel’s war aims a failure

14 July, 2025

TEHRAN (Realist English). Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has sharply rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that Tel Aviv...

Gen X poised for major inheritance boom amid record baby boomer wealth transfers

Gen X poised for major inheritance boom amid record baby boomer wealth transfers

13 July, 2025

WASHINGTON (Realist English). Members of Generation X — those currently aged 45 to 60 — are expected to benefit from...

Trump’s 30% tariffs ignite EU backlash and threaten trade war escalation

Erdoğan hails ‘new page in history’ as Kurdish militants begin disarmament

13 July, 2025

ANKARA (Realist English). Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared the beginning of a new era as militants from the outlawed...

FBI launches criminal investigation into former CIA and FBI chiefs over 2016 Russia probe

FBI launches criminal investigation into former CIA and FBI chiefs over 2016 Russia probe

9 July, 2025

WASHINGTON (Realist English). The Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened criminal investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan and former...

Opinion

Roman Starovoit

Roman Starovoit and the collapse of a technocratic glossy dream

8 July, 2025

MOSCOW (Realist English). I can’t stop thinking about the story of Roman Starovoit. If you think about it, the former...

Bezos’s Venetian wedding: a manifesto of new feudalism

Bezos’s Venetian wedding: a manifesto of new feudalism

30 June, 2025

VENICE (Realist English). When Jeff Bezos rents half of Venice for a $50 million wedding, it is more than the...

Not Mossad’s strength — but Iran’s weakness

Not Mossad’s strength — but Iran’s weakness

16 June, 2025

TBILISI (Realist English). The recent targeted assassinations of senior IRGC commanders and high-ranking Iranian officers are not simply the triumph...

The Church belongs to Christ, not to politicians: The Armenian Apostolic Church becomes a casualty of Yerevan’s political agony

The Church belongs to Christ, not to politicians: The Armenian Apostolic Church becomes a casualty of Yerevan’s political agony

12 June, 2025

YEREVAN (Realist English). First, they handed over part of the Holy Land to the Baku fascists, betraying the Armenians of...

All rights reserved.

© 2017-2025

  • About Us
  • Mission and Values
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Realist English

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Russia
  • Caucasus
  • Opinion
  • Interviews
  • Experts

Русский/English/العربية