Robert Stephen Ford

Robert Stephen Ford (born 1958) is a retired American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Algeria from 2006 to 2008 and the United States Ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014.

Personal life and education Ford is from Denver, Colorado and now lives in Maryland. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and a Master of Arts in Middle East studies and economics from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, he pursued advanced Arabic studies at The American University in Cairo.

In addition to English, Ford speaks German, Turkish, French, and Arabic.

Ford is married to Alison Barkley, who is a fellow diplomat.

Syria In 2010, U. S. President Barack Obama nominated Ford as the first U.S. Ambassador to Syria in five years (pending U.S. Senate approval). In December 2010, after the U.S. Senate failed to act on the nomination, Obama used a recess appointment to secure Ford the position. The Senate then confirmed Ford by unanimous consent on October 3, 2011. During the Syrian revolution, he visited Hama, where he was cheered by protesters. He also met with an opposition figure, Hassan Abdul-Azim, in Damascus, and was attacked with eggs and tomatoes by government supporters.

On October 24, 2011, Ford was recalled from Syria; the U.S. State Department cited "credible threats" to his safety. Ford had attracted the ire of pro-Assad Syrians due to his strong support of the Syrian uprising. According to American officials, Ford had been attacked by an armed pro-government mob, and Syrian state television had begun running reports blaming him for the formation of death squads similar to those in Iraq. This led to fears that supporters of the Syrian government might try to kill him.

In August 2013, it was reported by The New York Times that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had recommended that Ford serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, following the incumbent ambassador, Anne W. Patterson, being nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs the head of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs within the U.S. Department of State, which oversees the Middle East.

On February 4, 2014, officials of the U.S. State Department said that Ford was retiring and on February 28 announced his departure. The U.S. States Department announced the appointment of Daniel Rubinstein as U.S. special envoy for Syria on March 14.

In December 2018, Ford declared his support for President Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, describing it as "essentially correct."

In May 2025, Ford said that he met Ahmed al-Sharaa during visits to Idlib that took place around 2023. He stated that the meetings were facilitated by a British research organization, which was working on initiatives related to governance and political transition in opposition-held areas. The Syrian presidency denied Ford's claims as "inaccurate", stating that any contact with al-Sharaa occurred only within broader delegation visits in Idlib.

Later career After retiring from government service, Ford was a resident of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, and a professor at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs.

Honors Ford is a recipient of several Department of State awards, including the 2005 James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence for outstanding work at the mid-level in the Foreign Service as well as three Superior Honor Awards and two Meritorious Honor Awards.