In this week’s episode, correspondent Christina Ruffini and co-host former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta sit down with former United States Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Barbara Leaf, who was also previously Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Arabian Peninsula in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq. They discuss Leaf’s role in the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, President Donald Trump’s plans for Gaza, and how the Arab world has reacted. Leaf also shares behind-the-scenes diplomatic stories from the dramatic fall of the Assad regime and recounts an afternoon spent with Syria’s new interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and his plans for a new Syria and relations with Israel. Plus, how the nation is battling emerging Assad supporters.

Episode produced by Situation Room Studios. Original music composed and produced by Leo Sidran.

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