The United States is moving away from its traditional security-for-oil relationship with the Middle East and no longer seeks to dominate the region, senior US diplomat Tom Barrack said on Tuesday, speaking at the Global Security Forum in Doha, Al Jazeera reported. Washington was not abandoning the Middle East, he added, but rather reassessing its role after years of attempts to reshape governments across the region.
“The United States no longer wants to control the Middle East. We are no longer talking about controlling the region. We are discussing how not to leave it. We are not leaving the Middle East,” said Barrack, who serves as the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria. He acknowledged that past American interventions to change governments had often proved to be mistakes, adding: “Whenever we try to intervene to change governments or leaders, or actually change them, it becomes clear that we have made a mistake.”
Barrack also said a US ground intervention in the conflict involving Yemen's Houthis “appears pointless,” the Middle East Monitor reported, while noting that Washington is providing logistical support to Saudi Arabia amid escalating hostilities. He urged Middle Eastern countries to establish regional alliances rather than rely on Washington to resolve their problems, pointing to pacts such as the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey defence agreement as the model.
His remarks signal a potential shift in Washington's approach to regional engagement, moving away from a strategy centred on dominance and intervention. They come amid ongoing regional tensions and renewed debate over the future of US influence, even as the United States continues force buildups in the region, including a third aircraft carrier group now heading toward the Middle East.
Barrack's comments come amid ongoing regional tensions and renewed debate over the future of US influence and security commitments in the Middle East. The Middle East Monitor noted that he urged Gulf states to pursue regional partnerships such as the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey pact rather than relying on Washington. Allies have expressed concern about managing Iran after the conflict, even as the United States continues its own force buildup, including a third aircraft carrier group now heading toward the region.