The US administration to appoint Thomas Barrack as US special envoy to Syria
The United States will appoint Thomas Barrack, the current US ambassador in Türkiye and a friend of President Donald Trump, as special envoy to Syria.
The decision comes after Trump’s important announcement a few days ago that he would lift US sanctions on Syria.
It also points to Washington’s recognition of Türkiye’s rise as a significant regional power with influence in Damascus since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al Assad at the end of last year.
In response to a request for comment, a US State Department spokesperson said, “There is no announcement at this time”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, said he had allowed Turkish embassy staff, including Barrack, to work with local officials in Syria to understand the type of assistance they needed.
Thomas Barrack is the grandson of Lebanese immigrants, earned his B.S. from the University of Southern California and his J.D. from the University of Southern California and the University of San Diego School of Law.
Barrack began his career as a financial lawyer at a major international law firm, where he worked and lived in Europe and the Middle East.
He then toured Wall Street, serving as a principal at the renowned Robert M. Bass Group in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Ambassador Barrack as Deputy Under Secretary of the Interior, and in 2016, President Donald Trump selected him as Chairman of the 58th US Presidential Inaugural Committee.
In addition to English, Thomas Barrack speaks Spanish, French and Arabic fluently.
He received many decorations, including the Legion of Honor from French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Trump nominated Thomas Barrack to serve as US Ambassador to the Republic of Türkiye in March 2025, and the Senate confirmed his appointment in April 2025.
Ambassador Barak is the founder and former CEO of Colony Capital, a global private equity firm (now known as Digital Bridge), based in Los Angeles and one of the world’s largest digital infrastructure investors, with approximately $80 billion in assets under management and operations in 19 countries.
