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Brett McGurk

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Brett McGurk
National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 20, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byPosition established
Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
In office
October 23, 2015 – December 31, 2018
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded byJohn R. Allen
Succeeded byJames Franklin Jeffrey
Personal details
Born (1973-04-20) April 20, 1973 (age 51)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Spouse(s)Caroline Wong
Gina Chon
​
(m. 2012)​
EducationUniversity of Connecticut (BA)
Columbia University (JD)

Brett H. McGurk (born April 20, 1973) is an American diplomat, attorney, and academic who served in senior national security positions under presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. He currently serves as deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa.

He was the special presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter ISIL. He was appointed to this post by Obama in October 2015 and was retained in that role by the Trump administration until 2018. McGurk had been slated to leave the post in mid-February 2019,[1] but announced his resignation in December following Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria.[2]

McGurk also served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran and from October 2014 through January 2016, and led secret negotiations with Iran that led to a prisoner swap and release of four Americans from Iran. He earlier served under President George W. Bush as special assistant to the president and senior director for Iraq and Afghanistan, and under President Barack Obama as a senior advisor to the National Security Council and U.S. ambassador to Iraq.[3]

Early life and education

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McGurk was born to Barry McGurk, an English professor, and Carol Ann Capobianco, an art teacher, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 20, 1973.[4][5] His family later moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, where he graduated from Conard High School in 1991. McGurk received his BA from the University of Connecticut Honors Program in 1996,[6] and his JD from Columbia Law School in 1999. While at Columbia, he was a senior editor of the Columbia Law Review and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.[citation needed] He is a member of the Theta Chapter of the Zeta Psi Fraternity.

After graduation, McGurk completed clerkships in the federal judiciary for Judge Gerard E. Lynch on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Dennis Jacobs on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (Manhattan), and for Chief Justice William Rehnquist on the U.S. Supreme Court. Following his clerkships, McGurk served briefly as appellate litigation associate at Kirkland & Ellis as well as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia School of Law.[7]

Career

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War

[edit]
President Barack Obama meets with retired Gen. John Allen, special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, and Brett McGurk, Deputy special presidential envoy, left, in the Oval Office, Sep 16, 2014

In January 2004, McGurk returned to public service as a legal advisor to both the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the United States ambassador in Baghdad. During his tenure in Baghdad, McGurk helped draft Iraq's interim constitution, the Transitional Administrative Law, and oversaw the legal transition from the CPA to an Interim Iraqi Government led by Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. In 2005, he was transferred to the National Security Council, where he served as director for Iraq, and later as special assistant to the president and senior director for Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2006, McGurk became an early advocate for a fundamental change in Iraq policy and helped develop what is now known as "the surge," which began in January 2007.[citation needed] President Bush later asked McGurk to lead negotiations with Ambassador Ryan Crocker to establish a strategic framework agreement and security agreement with the government of Iraq, thereby ensuring continuity in policy beyond the end of his administration.[8] In 2009, McGurk was retained during the transition from George W. Bush to Barack Obama, serving as a senior advisor to both the president and the United States ambassador to Iraq.[3]

McGurk left government service in the fall of 2009 and served as a resident fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics.[9] He also served as an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He has also been a frequent commentator on several news outlets.[10] He was called back into public service in the summer of 2010 after a deadlock over formation of a new Iraqi government, and later in the summer of 2011, following a deadlock in negotiations with the government of Iraq to extend the security agreement that had been concluded in 2008.

In August 2013, he was appointed deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department.[11]

In November 2013,[12] and again in February 2014,[13] McGurk testified before the House Armed Services Committee about the emerging threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

On June 9, 2014, McGurk was in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, when ISIL overran Mosul's city and approached Baghdad. He later flew to Baghdad and helped oversee the evacuation of 1,500 U.S. employees from the U.S. embassy, while working with President Barack Obama and the National Security Council to develop the U.S. diplomatic and military response to the ISIL threat.[14] McGurk would ultimately play a leading role in facilitating the establishment of a new government in Iraq, led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and removing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who had served as prime minister for eight years.[15]

On September 12, 2014, Secretary of State John Kerry announced McGurk's appointment as deputy senior envoy with the rank of ambassador to General John Allen, who that day was named to the newly created position of special presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter ISIL.[16] On October 23, 2015, Secretary Kerry announced McGurk's appointment as ambassador and deputy special presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter ISIL.[17] Three days later, McGurk met in the Oval Office with Obama and Allen to discuss the strategy for building a global alliance to defeat ISIL.[18] On December 3, 2014, in Brussels, Belgium, a formal alliance of 62 nations was formed to support Iraq and help the new government under Prime Minister Abadi fight ISIL along five military and diplomatic lines of effort.[19]

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to special envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Brett H. McGurk, during the 2017 Chiefs of Defense Conference at Fort Belvoir, Va., Oct 24, 2017

In his role as special presidential envoy, McGurk worked to organize a global coalition of nations as well as coalitions on the ground in Iraq and Syria to help eject ISIL from its strongholds. He was intimately involved, for example, in negotiating agreements between Arabs and Kurds to prepare for the liberation of Mosul.[20] He also helped lead negotiations with Turkey to open Incirlik airbase for counter-ISIL missions, and prepare the historic defense of Kobani in Syria by negotiating with Turkey to permit the Kurdish Peshmerga to enter the besieged city through Turkish territory.[21] McGurk has since visited the battlefields of Kobani where he met officials from the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG),[22] as well as the front lines in Mosul to meet with Iraqi soldiers and Kurdish Pershmerga prior to an offensive to secure the eastern side of the city.[23]

He also helped rally the global coalition for military and financial contributions to support major counter-ISIL operations in Iraq and Syria, with emphasis on post-conflict stabilization and returning the displaced to their homes.[24] In August 2017, McGurk stated that the Trump administration had "dramatically accelerated" the U.S.–led campaign against ISIL, citing estimates that almost one-third of the territory taken from ISIL "has been won in the last six months." McGurk favorably cited "steps President Trump has taken, including delegating decision–making authority from the White House to commanders in the field."[25]

McGurk during the MSC 2017

During the Trump administration, he worked with James Mattis and Rex Tillerson, then-secretaries of defense and state, respectively, to develop the accelerated campaign against ISIL, which led to the liberation of Raqqa in October 2017.[26] He also visited the battlefields of Syria multiple times to help organize the coalition of Arab and Kurdish fighters that has succeeded in defeating ISIL in its former strongholds.[27] He later led talks with Russia and Jordan to establish a ceasefire zone in southwest Syria[28] and spearheaded an initiative with Tillerson to restore ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq after nearly three decades of dormant relations.[29]

McGurk spent much of the summer and fall of 2018 shuttling between Iraq and Syria with a focus on finalizing plans to defeat ISIL in its last strongholds of eastern Syria and establishing an Iraqi government that would continue to welcome an American and Coalition military presence. For the latter assignment, McGurk was the target of Iranian-backed protests and assassination threats by Iranian-backed militias.[30][31] Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on September 1, 2018 that McGurk was "doing a great job" in Baghdad while undertaking this difficult and dangerous assignment.[32] The new Iraqi government that formed on October 3, 2018, with McGurk's active facilitation, has been characterized as the most competent and Western-friendly since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.[33]

Iran talks

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk on April 8, 2016

From October 2014 to January 2016, McGurk was lead negotiator in secret negotiations with Iran that led to an exchange of prisoners and the return of four Americans, including Jason Rezain, Amir Hekmati, and Saeed Abedini.[34]

Controversy over ambassadorial nomination

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On March 26, 2012, McGurk was nominated to become the next United States ambassador to Iraq, succeeding James F. Jeffrey.[35] However, McGurk's confirmation hearings soon became embroiled in controversy after a series of his emails were leaked to the press and published on Cryptome.[36] Speculation remains as to who was responsible for the leak.[37][38] The illicit emails were exchanged with Gina Chon, then a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Critics claim that the extramarital affair cast doubt on his ability to lead and manage the embassy, while supporters argue that it was at most a momentary lapse in judgment and that McGurk and Chon were a married couple when the series of emails from five years earlier leaked.[39]

Chon was later accused of sharing articles with McGurk before publication, and was forced to resign from the newspaper. McGurk and Chon married in 2012.[40][4]

On June 18, 2012, McGurk submitted a letter to Obama and withdrew himself from further consideration. "While we regret to see Brett withdraw his candidacy," Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said in a statement later that day, "there is no doubt that he will be called on again to serve the country."[41] The position eventually went to Robert S. Beecroft.

Resignation from anti-ISIL post

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On January 19, 2017, President-Elect Donald Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer announced that the incoming administration would retain the Obama-appointed McGurk in his role leading the counter-ISIL campaign.[42] McGurk indicated in a December 11, 2018, press briefing that the war against ISIL in Syria was not over, stating, "It would be reckless if we were just to say, well, the physical caliphate is defeated, so we can just leave now."[43] On December 22, 2018, in the wake of Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria, McGurk announced his resignation effective December 31, 2018.[2] McGurk had been slated to leave the post in mid-February 2019.[1] In response, Trump wrote that he "did not know" McGurk and questioned if McGurk was a "grandstander".[44][45][a]

McGurk criticized Trump's Syria withdrawal order in a Washington Post opinion piece on January 18, saying Trump's decision was made "without deliberation, consultation with allies or Congress, assessment of risk, or appreciation of facts." He endorsed the view that America's adversaries will take advantage of the power vacuum created by a premature pullout from Syria, writing: "the Islamic State and other extremist groups will fill the void opened by our departure, regenerating their capacity to threaten our friends in Europe — as they did throughout 2016 — and ultimately our own homeland".[47][48] McGurk also wrote an essay for the May/June 2019 edition of Foreign Affairs, in which he said the United States should not expect to reach the goals it had set with a smaller number of troops.[49]

After Trump announced in October 2019 that he would withdraw American forces from Syria,[50] McGurk wrote a Twitter thread that not only sharply criticized the decision, but also characterized Trump as generally reckless in foreign policy. McGurk wrote, "Donald Trump is not a Commander-in-Chief. He makes impulsive decisions with no knowledge or deliberation. He sends military personnel into harm's way with no backing. He blusters and then leaves our allies exposed when adversaries call his bluff or he confronts a hard phone call."[51]

Academic and media career (2019–2020)

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On January 2, 2019, Stanford University announced that McGurk had accepted a two-year appointment as the Frank E. and Arthur W. Payne Distinguished Lecturer at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute.[52] In the announcement, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated: "Brett McGurk is the consummate professional diplomat. He has served on the front lines across three administrations, and handled some of the most difficult assignments for me and President Bush in Iraq during the surge." McGurk also holds a post at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., as a non-Resident Senior Fellow.[53] Carnegie President and former Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns announced McGurk's affiliation with Carnegie, stating: "For more than a decade, and across administrations of both parties, Brett has led some of the most difficult and important U.S. diplomatic endeavors in the Middle East with extraordinary skill and tireless commitment."

While at Stanford, McGurk has published commentary on Syria,[54] China,[55] Iran,[56] and the insolvency of President Trump's foreign policy between stated objective and dedicated resources.[57] He also published a well-received op-ed on the need to revitalize America's diplomatic corps including through an ROTC-like program to draw from America's colleges and universities to compete with great power competitors.[58] The op-ed became a cornerstone of proposals by presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren[59] and was reflected in Vice President Joe Biden's foreign policy speech.[60]

In February 2019, McGurk received the James Foley Freedom Award for his work in securing the release of Americans held hostage by the Iranian government and his leadership in the campaign to defeat ISIL.[61]

McGurk is a Senior Foreign Affairs Analyst with NBC News and MSNBC, commentating regularly on foreign policy matters across NBC platforms.[62][non-primary source needed] He also regularly speaks to public audiences about national security strategy, war, diplomacy, and decision-making.[63]

National Security Council (2021)

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President-elect Joe Biden's January 2021 choice of McGurk for the National Security Council was described by analysts as sending a "strong signal" to Turkey.[64] This conclusion was based on McGurk's past criticisms of Turkey's government, which included condemning their October 2019 military offensive into Syria against the SDF, accusing Turkey of purposefully not securing their border with Syria so foreigners could join ISIL, suggesting that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have harbored ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and denouncing Erdogan for hosting Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.[65][64] In February 2022 the White House sent Brett McGurk to Riyadh after the transfer of missile interceptors to the kingdom to discuss the uncertain energy supply and the war in Yemen among other issues.[66]

Israel-Gaza War negotiations

[edit]
McGurk with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, May 19, 2024

In November of 2023, McGurk was selected by President Biden to lead negotiations between Israel and Hamas in an effort to secure the release of hostages in Gaza.[67] At the annual “Manama Dialogue” hosted by International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain, McGurk[68] gave assurances that a release of war hostages by Hamas would cause a significant pause in the Gaza war and a massive surge of humanitarian relief.[69] He said:

"A release of large numbers of hostages would result in a significant pause in fighting. A significant pause in fighting, and a massive surge of humanitarian relief. Hundreds and hundreds of trucks on a sustained basis entering Gaza from Egypt."

McGurk's linkage of a hostage release to relieving the Gazan humanitarian crisis was criticized by Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International, as promoting collective punishment of the Palestinians for the actions of Hamas, which violates the laws of armed conflict.[70] Ayman Safadi, Jordan's deputy Prime Minister, also criticized the linkage: "I just don’t find it acceptable that Israel links humanitarian aid to the release of hostages. Israel is taking 2.3 million Palestinians hostage.”[71]

McGurk has been criticized for prioritizing Israel–Saudi Arabia relations at the forefront of the United States foreign policy in the Middle East, downplaying concerns about human rights and Palestinians.[72]

Awards

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McGurk was awarded the Distinguished Honor Award by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in January 2009 and the Distinguished Service Award by Secretary of State John Kerry in November 2016. These were the highest awards each Secretary could bestow in McGurk's capacity as a White House official under the Bush administration and a State Department official under the Obama administration. He has also received the Superior Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State,[73] and the Outstanding Service and Joint Service Commendation Award from the U.S. National Security Council while serving as special assistant to President George W. Bush.[74]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ McGurk was succeeded by US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey on January 4, 2019.[46]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Hudson, John (December 22, 2018). "US Envoy to Coalition Fighting Isus Resigns in Protest of President's Syria Decision". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Shaw, Adam (December 22, 2018). "Brett McGurk, US envoy to anti-ISIS coalition, resigns in wake of Trump decision to pull troops from Syria". Fox News. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Brett H. McGurk". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Caroline Wong and Brett McGurk". The New York Times. March 12, 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  5. ^ "Ambassador to Iraq: Who Is Brett McGurk?". allgov.com.
  6. ^ Best, Kenneth (April 25, 2005). "Alumni Recount Experiences in Iraq". UConn Advance. University of Connecticut. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  7. ^ "Brett McGurk, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan, National Security Council". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2015 – via National Archives.
  8. ^ "Brett McGurk". Roger Hertog Program on Law and National Security. Columbia Law School. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  9. ^ "Brett McGurk". The Institute of Politics at Harvard University. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  10. ^ "Brett McGurk". Brett McGurk. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  11. ^ "Biography, Brett McGurk". U.S. Department of State. September 16, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  12. ^ "Testimony of Deputy Assistant Secretary Brett McGurk House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa Hearing: Iraq" (PDF). U.S. House of Representatives. November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  13. ^ "Testimony of Deputy Assistant Secretary Brett McGurk House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing: Iraq" (PDF). U.S. House of Representatives. February 5, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  14. ^ "Statement for the Record: Deputy Assistant Secretary Brett McGurk: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing: Iraq at a Crossroads: Options for U.S. Policy" (PDF). U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. July 24, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  15. ^ Solomon, Jay (August 13, 2014). "U.S.'s Man in Baghdad Key to Political Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  16. ^ "Kerry on Iraq, Syria in Turkey". U.S. Embassy in Syria (Transcript). September 12, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  17. ^ "Obama names Brett McGurk as envoy to coalition fighting Islamic State". Reuters. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  18. ^ "Readout of the President's Meeting with General John Allen, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and Ambassador Brett McGurk, Deputy Special Presidential Envoy". The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. September 16, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015 – via Obama White House Archives.
  19. ^ "Joint Statement Issued by Partners at the Counter-ISIL Coalition Ministerial Meeting". U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesperson. December 3, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  20. ^ Kalin, Stephen; Zhdannikov, Dmitry (October 3, 2016). "Exclusive: U.S. helped clinch Iraq oil deal to keep Mosul battle on track". Reuters.
  21. ^ Özer, Verda (August 15, 2015). "We really can't succeed against ISIL without Turkey". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  22. ^ Davis, Julie Hirschfeld (February 1, 2016). "Senior U.S. Official Describes 2-Day Visit to Syria". The New York Times.
  23. ^ El-Ghobashy, Tamer; Phillips, Michael M. (December 5, 2016). "U.S. Seeks to Maintain Fragile Anti-ISIS Alliance in Iraq". The Wall Street Journal.
  24. ^ Baldor, Lolita (July 20, 2016). "Defense, foreign ministers to plan next steps against Islamic State". PBS. Associated Press. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  25. ^ DeYoung, Karen (August 4, 2017). "Under Trump, gains against ISIS have 'dramatically accelerated'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  26. ^ "Department of Defense Press Briefing by Secretary Mattis, General Dunford and Special Envoy McGurk on the Campaign to Defeat ISIL in the Pentagon Press Briefing Room (transcript)". U.S. Department of Defense. May 19, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  27. ^ Gordon, Michael R. (July 1, 2017). "In a Desperate Syrian City, a Test of Trump's Policies". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  28. ^ Rozen, Laura (August 9, 2017). "US touts success of Syria cease-fire negotiated with Russia". Al-Monitor. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  29. ^ Rozen, Laura (October 20, 2017). "To counter Iranian sway, US promotes Iraqi-Saudi ties". Al-Monitor. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  30. ^ El-Ghobashy, Tamer (September 25, 2018). "The U.S. and Iran are competing to shape Iraq's new government. Both are failing". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  31. ^ Goran, Baxtiyar (August 30, 2018). "Iraqis protest against 'US meddling' in government formation". Kurdistan 24. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  32. ^ Pompeo, Mike [@SecPompeo] (September 1, 2018). "Just spoke with @brett_mcgurk who's on the ground in #Baghdad representing me and @POTUS. Doing a great job. Forming a strong Iraqi government on national basis is essential to the enduring defeat of #ISIS" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "Iraq's Promising New Leadership". Bloomberg News. October 9, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  34. ^ Landler, Mark (January 19, 2016). "Iran Negotiations Add to Special Envoy's Reputation as 'a Doer'". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  35. ^ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary, The White House. March 26, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2015 – via Obama White House Archives.
  36. ^ "Ambassadorial Nominee Brett McGurk and WSJ Gina Chon Emails". Cryptome.org. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  37. ^ Kaplan, Fred (June 20, 2012). "Brett McGurk nomination to be U.S. ambassador to Iraq ended because of leaked email messages". Slate. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  38. ^ Lake, Eli (June 14, 2012). "The Man Behind the 'Blue Ball' Emails Scandal That Snared Brett McGurk". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  39. ^ Entous, Adam (June 18, 2012). "Brett McGurk Withdraws as Iraq Ambassador Nominee". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  40. ^ Hastings, Michael (June 15, 2012). "War Correspondent Gina Chon Defends Herself: "I've Never Felt So Vulnerable"". BuzzFeed. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  41. ^ Baker, Peter (June 18, 2012). "Facing Confirmation Fight, Nominee as Ambassador to Iraq Withdraws". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  42. ^ Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (January 19, 2017). "Trump keeps Obama appointee tasked with helping run the war against ISIS". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  43. ^ Nordland, Rod (December 19, 2018). "U.S. Exit Seen as a Betrayal of the Kurds, and a Boon for ISIS". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  44. ^ Brennan, Margaret (December 22, 2018). "Brett McGurk, top U.S. envoy in ISIS fight, resigns". CBS News. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  45. ^ Horton, Alex (December 23, 2018). "'Very telling' that Trump didn't know his own anti-ISIS point man, former official says". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  46. ^ "James Jeffrey assumes role of US envoy to defeat-ISIS Coalition". The Defense Post. January 5, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  47. ^ McGurk, Brett (January 18, 2019). "Trump said he beat ISIS. Instead, he's giving it new life". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  48. ^ "Trump giving 'new life' to Daesh, former envoy says". Arab News. Agence France-Presse. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  49. ^ McGurk, Brett (April 16, 2019). "Hard Truths in Syria: America Can't Do More With Less, and It Shouldn't Try". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  50. ^ Baker, Peter; Jakes, Lara (October 7, 2019). "Trump Throws Middle East Policy Into Turmoil Over Syria". The New York Times.
  51. ^ Blake, Aaron (October 7, 2019). "Analysis | Trump's former ISIS envoy offers scathing critique of his Syria decision — and entire management style". The Washington Post.
  52. ^ Feldman, Nicole (January 2, 2019). "Former Presidential Envoy to Defeat ISIS Named Payne Distinguished Lecturer" (Press release). Stanford University. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  53. ^ "Brett McGurk to Join Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as Nonresident Senior Fellow". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  54. ^ McGurk, Brett (October 7, 2019). "Hard Truths in Syria". Foreign Affairs.
  55. ^ McGurk, Brett (April 29, 2019). "China's Risky Middle East Bet". The Atlantic.
  56. ^ "A Five-Step Plan to Get Trump Out of the Iran Crisis". Bloomberg L.P. June 26, 2019.
  57. ^ McGurk, Brett (August 14, 2019). "American Foreign Policy Adrift". Foreign Affairs.
  58. ^ Schake, Kori N.; McGurk, Brett (May 13, 2019). "Opinion | Compete with China? Support a GI Bill for diplomacy". The Washington Post.
  59. ^ Warren, Team (June 28, 2019). "Revitalizing Diplomacy: A 21st Century Foreign Service". Medium.
  60. ^ "Former Vice President Joe Biden Speech on Foreign Policy | C-SPAN.org". c-span.org.
  61. ^ "James W. Foley Legacy Foundation to Honor American Diplomat Brett McGurk, Journalist Jason Rezaian and Humanitarian Dr. Terrence Rynne at Awards Event". James W. Foley. January 15, 2019.
  62. ^ McGurk, Brett [@brett_mcgurk] (April 1, 2019). "Excited to join the great team at @NBCNews and @MSNBC as a Senior Foreign Affairs Analyst. There's a lot to discuss as the United States seeks to navigate a rapidly changing world. Great to start with the legendary @mitchellreports" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  63. ^ "Brett McGurk: Former U.S. Special Presidential Enroy Overseeing the Global Campaign to Defeat ISIS". commonwealthclub.org.
  64. ^ a b "Intel: Biden to pick Brett McGurk for top White House Middle East role". Al-Monitor. January 6, 2021.
  65. ^ Harb, Ali; Soylu, Ragip (January 8, 2021). "Biden appoints staunch Turkey critic Brett McGurk to National Security Council". Middle East Eye.
  66. ^ "Biden fortified Saudi's Patriot missile supply: US official". The Times of India. Associated Press. March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  67. ^ Top Biden adviser to visit Israel, Qatar to discuss efforts to free hostages Axios. Nov 11, 2023.
  68. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies. (18 November 2023). "IISS Manama Dialogue 2023 | First Plenary Session". Approx 34 min. in. YouTube website Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  69. ^ JP staff. (18 November 2023). "Jordan doubts Israel can wipe out Hamas, vows to stop Gaza 'displacement'". Jerusalem Post website Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  70. ^ Noah Lanard. Senior US Official Appears to Endorse Collective Punishment of Gaza's Mother Jones. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  71. ^ Peter Martin and Sam Dagher. US Says Hamas Must Release Hostages for Gaza to Get More Aid, November 18, 2023
  72. ^ "How A Deeply Controversial White House Adviser Is Running The Agenda On Gaza". HuffPost. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  73. ^ "Brett McGurk '99". Columbia Law School Magazine. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  74. ^ "About Brett McGurk". Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
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Media related to Brett H. McGurk at Wikimedia Commons

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
2015–2018 		Succeeded by
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