Intel: Former US ambassador to UAE to join McGurk on National Security Council

Barbara Leaf is set to join other Obama-era officials with established Middle East policy credentials.
US Secretary of State John Kerry (C) walks with Deputy Chief of Mission Ethan Goldrich (far L), US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Barbara Leaf (2nd L) and Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi, on November 23, 2015. Kerry arrived in Abu Dhabi on November 23 to meet his Emirati counterparts on efforts to build a Syrian opposition coalition to lead peace talks with the Damascus regime. AFP PHOTO / POOL / Jacquelyn Martin (Photo credit
US Secretary of State John Kerry (C) walks with Deputy Chief of Mission Ethan Goldrich (far L), US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Barbara Leaf (2nd L) and Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi Nov. 23, 2015. - JACQUELYN MARTIN/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Barbara Leaf, the former US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates during the Barack Obama administration, is expected to be named to President-elect Joe Biden’s National Security Council, Vox reported.

If selected, Leaf will join former envoy to the coalition to defeat the Islamic State Brett McGurk, who was named the incoming NSC’s coordinator for the Middle East last week.

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