“Every time we intervened, whether it was in Libya or Iraq or any of the other places where we tried to create a colonial state, we were not successful,” he said. “We ended up paralyzed.”
Barak said about the Middle East: “I do not see democracy.” “Israel can claim to be a democracy, but in this region, whether you like it or not, what has worked best is actually a benevolent monarchy.”
Speaking about Syria’s year-long transition from long-standing authoritarian rule under the Assad family, Barak added that the Syrian people must determine their own political path “without submitting to Western expectations of: ‘We want democracy in 12 months.'”
While Barak’s rejection of efforts to impose democracy on Middle Eastern countries won praise, some Israelis bristled at what they claimed was a suggestion that their country was not a democracy, while other observers pushed back on the envoy’s assertion regarding territorial ownerships and use of the Palestinian digital media platform. Named “Classic colonial discourse.”
“The reality on the ground is the opposite of his claim: it is the absence of democratic rights, accountable governance, and comprehensive federal structures that has fueled Syria’s fragmentation, empowered militias, and pushed communities toward secession,” said Syrian Kurdish journalist Ronahi Hassan. He said On social media.
Ronahi continued:
When an American official undermines the universal principles that the United States itself claims to defend, he sends a dangerous message: that Syrians do not deserve the same political rights as others, and that minority communities must simply accept central tyranny as their fate.
Syria does not need another foreign lecture that romanticizes the monarchy. It needs a political system that protects all of its people – Druze, Alawites, Kurds, Sunnis, and Christians – through genuine power-sharing, decentralization, and guarantees of equality.
Ronahi added, “Federalism is not the problem.” “The problem is depriving Syrians of their right to shape their future.”
Abdirazzaq Mohamed, MP and former Foreign Minister of Somalia. He said On social media: “Tom Barrack has declared what is already known. The United States labels dictators and monarchies as benevolent when their behavior is consistent with American interests, and when their behavior is not consistent with American interests they are tyrants. Calling dictators benevolent is one thing.” [an] “An oxymoron that shows the hypocrisy of the United States.”
For nearly a century, the United States has supported monarchies in the Middle East while successive administrations sought to gain and maintain control of the region’s vast oil resources. This often meant supporting monarchs in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran (before 1979), the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar – regardless of their appalling human rights records.
Although there is nothing new regarding US policy and practices in the region, the Trump administration has recently published National Security Strategy He prioritizes “flexible realism” over human rights and democracy and uses more explicit language than previous presidents to explain Washington’s support for oppressive monarchs.
“the [US] The State Department will likely need to clarify whether Barak’s statements represent official policy or personal opinion. Editorial in Middle East 24. “Regardless, his words revealed an uncomfortable truth about American foreign policy in the Middle East: the persistent gap between democratic ideals and strategic realities.”
The editorial added, “Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this episode is what it reveals about America’s confidence in its own values.” “If American diplomats no longer believe that democracy can succeed in difficult environments, what does this say about America’s faith in the universal acceptance of its founding principles?”
Source link
