Burying the Hachet

Obama Nominates New Syrian Ambassador

America's first such envoy in five years.

The U.S. hasn't had an ambassador to Syria since 2005, when it withdrew its ambassador from Damascus after Syria was implicated in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. But now, underscoring his efforts to thaw relations between the two countries, President Obama has formally nominated Robert Ford, a respected State Department Arabist, for the diplomatic post. If confirmed, Ford, a former ambassador to Algeria, has his work cut out for him—he'll be tasked with wooing the Syrian government away from Iran, ending its longstanding support of Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, and pressing for a peace treaty between Syria and Israel.