Played by George Clooney, Barnes is a veteran agent sent to assassinate Prince Nasir after the prince grants oil rights to China instead of a U.S. company. Barnes eventually discovers he is a pawn in a larger corporate-government conspiracy and is set up as a scapegoat by his own agency.
Mazhar Munir plays a Pakistani laborer who loses his job at a Connex refinery after the Chinese take over. Faced with poverty and lack of opportunity, he and his friend are drawn into a radical Islamic madrasa, eventually becoming suicide bombers who target a Connex-Killen tanker. Key Themes and Analysis Syriana Movie Review | Common Sense Media Syriana
The film follows four primary threads that eventually collide, all revolving around the control of energy resources: Played by George Clooney, Barnes is a veteran
Jeffrey Wright portrays an ambitious attorney tasked with performing "due diligence" on a shady merger between two U.S. oil giants, Connex and Killen. His job is to provide the Department of Justice with "sacrificial lambs" to ensure the merger is approved despite evidence of bribery in Kazakhstan. Mazhar Munir plays a Pakistani laborer who loses