Syria's myriad challenges will show Al Shara's 'real colours', says former US official
Barbara Leaf, who served as US assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, says transparency and accountability will be essential
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Who is Joel Rayburn, Trump's pick for head of Middle East affairs at State Department?
US President Donald Trump has nominated Joel Rayburn to serve as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, the top Middle East position at the State Department. Mr Rayburn is a veteran diplomat with years of experience in the region. He served in several roles during Mr Trump's first term, including from 2018 to 2021, when he was US special envoy for Syria. In this role, he helped steer US policy with regard to the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad, who was ousted late last year. He also served as senior director for Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council at the beginning of Mr Trump's first term. Before entering government, Mr Rayburn served in the US Army for 26 years. From 2013 to 2016, he headed the army's Iraqi Freedom Study Group, where he helped to write a history of the Iraq War and the lessons learnt from it. Outside of government, Mr Rayburn established the American Centre for Levant Studies, a think tank dedicated to promoting a better understanding of the US-Middle East relationship. He also served as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank. Mr Rayburn is known for his hawkish views towards Iran and was critical of how former president Joe Biden handled the Israel-Gaza War. If confirmed by the Senate, he will take over a post previously held by Barbara Leaf.
