ARTICLE · 16 SEPTEMBER 2025

Ambassador Barbara Leaf Talks Syrian Leadership Changes With Al Arabiya

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Senior International Policy Advisor and former U.S. Ambassador Barbara Leaf recently spoke to Al Arabiya in a televised segment about regime changes in Syria and the international community's role...

SyriaGovernment, Public Sector

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Senior International Policy Advisor and former U.S. Ambassador Barbara Leaf recently spoke to Al Arabiya in a televised segment about regime changes in Syria and the international community's role in bolstering long-term peace in the region.

Ambassador Leaf mentioned that Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa's rise to power in December 2024 was a crucial juncture for the U.S., which came as the Trump transition team prepared for its new administration.

"It was a critical moment to lay eyes on and engage with this new leader whom we knew at a distance," she said. "It was quite important for us to have an understanding of what he was about, what he planned, and report back, including sharing that set of impressions [...] with the incoming team."

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