Douglas Silliman

At age 11, his family moved to the Houston, Texas area, where Silliman attended high school.

He graduated summa cum laude from Baylor University in 1982,[1] with a bachelor's degree in political science and foreign service, and he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

He worked closely with the U.S. military’s Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, the international coalition to counter the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and the Iraqi military to coordinate the prosecution of the war against ISIL.

[6] Silliman also played a prominent role with the United Nations and other Western donors to provide humanitarian assistance[7] to Iraqis displaced by war and assure demining and stabilization efforts[8] so that displaced Iraqis could return to their homes.

Following the January 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Quds Force leader Qassim Suleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad International Airport, Silliman was a frequent commentator on domestic and international media[13][14][15][16][17] where he argued for de-escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran and a clearer articulation of U.S. foreign policy goals in the region.