US President Donald Trump's close friend and billionaire investor Thomas J. Barrack was appointed as Ambassador to Turkey and Special Representative for Syria. While Barrack is leading the lifting of sanctions against Syria with a result-oriented approach of 'event diplomacy' rather than traditional diplomatic processes, it aims to solve the F-35/S-400 crisis with Turkey and disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Billionaire investor Thomas J, one of the most trusted names of US President Donald Trump. Barrack runs an unusual diplomatic mission in the Middle East with dual duties as both the new US Ambassador to Ankara and the Special Representative for Syria.
Combining more than forty years of finance, law and government experience, especially with his deep trade ties in the Middle East and 'personal friendship' with President Trump, Barrack is taking a result-oriented approach he calls “event diplomacy” to reshape America's policy in the region.
Barrack was nominated for the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey by President Trump in March 2025 and officially took office on May 14, 2025 with the approval of the Senate in April 2025. Shortly after this appointment, on May 23, 2025, he was appointed as the US Special Representative for Syria while continuing his embassy in Ankara.
New era in Ankara: Is the F-35 and S-400 crisis being resolved?
Barrack often emphasized that during his tenure in Ankara, Turkey was an important regional actor and NATO ally, which he thought did not always see the value it deserved.
He stated that he relied on strong personal relations between President Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to restore trust between the two countries.
While describing a moment when Erdogan stood by Trump at the NATO summit, Barrack stated that Trump was "actually sweet, kind and kind" contrary to his public image and that the two leaders "really like each other".
One of the most concrete diplomatic initiatives was the commitment to solve the crisis that began with Ankara's acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system and led to Turkey's exclusion from the F-35 program and CAATSA sanctions. Barrack announced to the public that he believes this dispute can be resolved by the end of 2025.
He said that Trump and Erdogan would instruct their diplomats to find a solution and that the US Congress would also support a "smart solution".
“All these issues that have been discussed for five years; F-35s, F-16s, S-400s, sanctions, tariffs... Enough is enough,” Barrack called on the parties to put these issues aside.
'Event diplomacy' in Damascus: Sanctions are lifted, 7 billion dollar agreement signed
Barrack's appointment as the Syrian Special Representative signaled that Washington had undergone a significant change in Syria policy after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
The new policy of the Trump administration focuses on lifting sanctions, economic restructuring and stability, moving away from past “nation-building” efforts.
Barrack describes this approach as "event diplomacy" instead of "process diplomacy" and states that "exection and results" are given priority.
The first step of this policy was taken with President Trump's decision to "tear up sanctions against Syria" on May 14.
Soon after, the Treasury Department issued a general license on May 23 that lifted extensive sanctions against Syria, and a 180-day exemption was granted to sanctions under the Caesar's Act.
Barrack met with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on May 24 in Istanbul and in Damascus on May 29 and July 9.
As a concrete result of these talks, a $7 billion energy agreement was signed between Syria and a consortium of Qatari, US and Turkish companies on May 29.
At the same time, the residence of the US Embassy in Damascus was reopened as a symbol of renewed diplomatic relations.
Challenging headlines on the table: SDF integration and Hezbollah's disarmament
Despite the progress made on the economic front, significant challenges remain on issues such as the integration of military forces. Barrack plays an active role in the talks for the integration of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the new Syrian army.
But the biggest disagreement is whether the SDF will remain as a whole within the new army, or whether its members will be disbanded individually.
Barrack acknowledged that this was a "big problem," stating that progress was "with baby steps" due to the need to build trust between the parties.
Barrack's diplomatic efforts also extended to Lebanon. Visiting Beirut this week, he received the Lebanese government's response to the US proposal to disarm Hezbollah and other armed groups.
Although Barrack said he was "incredibly satisfied" with the seven-page response, the details of the response were not made public. The US proposal reportedly links the disarmament of Hezbollah to economic reforms for Lebanon and the end of Israel's military operations in the country.
Barrack reiterated his goal of “one nation, one people, one army” for Lebanon, arguing that President Trump “has no patience” to continue negotiations without concrete progress.
Portrait of a real estate giant of Lebanese origin
Thomas Joseph Barrack Jr., born on April 28, 1947 in California, is the grandson of a Catholic family who emigrated from Zahle, Lebanon.
He often refers to this legacy in his diplomatic contacts. After studying law at the University of Southern California, he began his career as a finance lawyer. He was sent to Saudi Arabia in 1972, where he established close relations with a Saudi prince. In 1982, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as Deputy Undersecretary of the Interior.
After his government service, Barrack returned to the financial sector and founded Colony Capital, a global private equity company, which would later become DigitalBridge in 1990.
The company has become one of the largest real estate investment firms in the world, investing more than $200 billion in capital worldwide under his leadership. During this career, he has established a wide network of global relations, especially with investors and governments in the Middle East.
Friendship with Trump and legal processes in the past
Barrack has a close friendship with Donald Trump that dates back decades. He served as a senior adviser in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and was 58th after the election. He raised more than 100 million dollars in donations, presiding over the US Presidency of the Oath Committee.
However, this close relations and especially its connections with the UAE brought legal problems. He was arrested in July 2021 on charges of acting as an indifferent agent on behalf of a foreign government.
However, he was acquitted of all charges in November 2022. Previously, in the last days of Trump's first term, he had benefited from the presidential amnesty in connection with the "university admission scandal" in 2019.