Robert Booker Baer, born in Los Angeles, California, graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1976 before joining the CIA as a case officer in the Middle East (1976-1997), where he advanced to director of operations and received the Career Intelligence Medal and a 1995 Merit Unit Citation. One of the most vocal intelligence community critics of Chalabi, he retired in 1997 and transitioned into writing and media, serving as Time magazine's intelligence columnist and contributing to Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. His memoir See No Evil inspired the 2005 film Syriana, with George Clooney portraying a character based on Baer; he has also worked as a screenwriter and producer on projects including Rendition (2007) and Berlin Station (2016). A prominent commentator on espionage, U.S. foreign policy, and international relations, Baer currently works as an Intelligence and Security Analyst for CNN. He hosted the History Channel's reality series Hunting Hitler, speaks eight languages fluently, and is married to former CIA operative Dayna Williamson. Baer continues to influence public discourse on intelligence matters through books, articles, and television appearances.