Welcome Barbara A. Leaf, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary Of State For Near Eastern Affairs And U.S. Ambassador To The United Arab Emirates

We are pleased to announce that Ambassador Barbara A. Leaf, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, has joined the firm’s distinguished Global Law and Public Policy group as a Senior International Policy Advisor, resident in Washington, D.C.

As Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Ambassador Leaf led diplomatic and commercial advocacy across the region, overseeing U.S. missions from Morocco to the Gulf. Prior to this role, she served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa. Ambassador Leaf was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2014 to 2018, leading a bilateral diplomatic mission focused on deepening bilateral trade, defense, and security ties, counterterrorism, counterproliferation, and law enforcement cooperation. From 2018 to 2021, as the Ruth and Sid Lapidus Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Ambassador Leaf directed the Beth and David Geduld Program on Arab Politics, regularly speaking and writing on Iraq, Iran, Gulf Politics, and broader U.S. foreign and national security policy. Earlier in her career, Ambassador Leaf served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Arabian Peninsula and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq, directed U.S. stabilization and reconstruction programs in Basrah, Iraq, and was the Department’s first Director of the Office of Iranian Affairs. A member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Leaf was awarded the Distinguished Honor Award by Secretary Blinken and received numerous Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor Awards throughout her career.

Ambassador Leaf brings exceptional knowledge and deep regional insight on the Middle East and North Africa. Her guidance will be instrumental in supporting our clients on matters of business and public policy, including navigating geopolitical complexities. We look forward to drawing on her distinguished diplomatic experience to help clients address and resolve complex policy challenges.