President Obama has appointed Middle East Director at the National Security Council, Robert Malley, as "anti-Daesh tsar". He will coordinate and supervise all actions and all structures involved in the fight against the terrorist organization.

Robert Malley was educated at Harvard Law School together with Barack Obama, though they were not linked at the time. He started as a clerk at the Supreme Court, and then joined the Clinton administration, notably through National Security Advisor, Sandy Berger. In 2000, he participated in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations at Camp David. During the mandates of George W. Bush, he joined George Soros’ International Crisis Group and continued his contacts with almost all Middle East leaders, including Syrian President Bashar Assad. In 2008, he was adviser to Barack Obama during his election campaign, but once elected, the President separated from him because of the opposition of the US Jewish lobby. Ultimately, it was not until 2014 that Obama appointed him Middle East head at the National Security Council.

In his works, Robert Malley has often criticized the way Washington chose its allies in the Middle East. According to him, most of them have values ​​and pursue incompatible objectives with those of Washington.

Robert Malley countered an Israeli propaganda campaign that the Camp David failure was due to the Palestinians. His evidence to the contrary made him the object of violent attacks by the US Jewish lobby. In 2008 he was accused of having met with Hamas leaders and supporting anti-Israeli terrorism. He had in fact continued to work within the International Crisis Group by meeting both Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Jew himself, Robert Malley is the son of French journalist and Afrique-Asie founder, Simon Malley, and Barbara Malley, a former collaborator of the Algerian FLN. He is known for campaigning against US imperialism and for US leadership with developing States.

As "anti-Daesh Tsar," Robert Malley will put an end to two years of division within the Obama administration. Last October, he strongly opposed Samantha Power, Ambassador to the United Nations, at a meeting of the National Security Council about keeping democratically elected President Bashar Assad in power not.

Translation
Roger Lagassé