Syria's acting ambassador to the United States previously served the al-Nusra militants who kidnapped an American journalist in Syria, an awkward fact for Washington as it warms to Damascus.

• Muhammad Kinatri, now charge d'affaires in Washington, is the top Syrian diplomat dealing with the State Department while there is no ambassador.
• During the kidnapping he worked as a translator for the al-Nusra commanders holding the journalist, passing along their orders while posing as a helper.
• The captors used their standard line — that the journalist was a CIA spy who only needed investigating — before moving him to a real prison. He later escaped.
• Syria's current president also came out of al-Nusra, so the pattern runs all the way to the top of the new government.

Outlook: Expect this history to fuel pushback in Washington as the US keeps building ties with Syria's new leadership.