In practice, regardless of Barrack’s relationship with Trump, he appears to be something of a “Democratic Party presence” on Middle East affairs within Donald Trump’s camp. This is not necessarily a negative assessment. Rather, his personal relationship with President Trump may influence both his actions and his statements, giving him a sense of freedom from the constraints that normally bind members of the diplomatic establishment. There are several examples of Barrack speaking about Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, even going so far as to invoke the Ottoman Empire as the historical roots to which Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s republic is said to be nostalgic.
