US Envoy Tom Barrack Says Washington Shifts Away From Oil-For-Security Strategy in Middle East
At the Global Security Forum in Doha, Tom Barrack said the United States is reassessing its role in the Middle East, moving away from a security-for-oil approach and acknowledging the limited success of past regime-change efforts.
Doha, Qatar – Senior US diplomat Tom Barrack told participants at the Global Security Forum on Tuesday that Washington is re-evaluating its involvement in the Middle East, moving away from the traditional security-for-oil bargain that has guided past policy. Barrack, who serves as US Ambassador to Turkiye and Special Envoy for Syria, said the United States no longer seeks to "own" the region. > "The bargain is not to control, but to not leave. We’re not leaving," he said.
He noted that regional partners are increasingly aware that they cannot rely on the United States to solve all their problems and that past interventions, including 23 regime changes across the wider Middle East, have often proved counter-productive. > "Every time we try and intervene, change the person or the regime, it seems to have been a mistake," Barrack said.
Political analyst Luciano Zaccara described Barrack’s remarks as an acknowledgement that previous US actions in the region have not yielded the intended results, regardless of the administration in power. Zaccara added that Barrack stopped short of calling for a retreat from the broader demands made of Iran.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said mediators continue to exchange messages between Tehran and Washington, and that the lack of public information on the talks should not be taken as a sign of stalled progress. > "The fact that we’re not hearing about it is a good sign that we’re doing our job properly," al-Ansari said.
Negotiations focus on Iran’s seven-day proposal to end the conflict, which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, resuming nuclear talks and easing sanctions in exchange for US concessions. Analyst Negar Mortazavi warned that while Tehran wants an end to the war, it is not prepared to surrender under military or economic pressure, and that continued escalation could raise risks for the region.
The forum also addressed the ongoing fighting in Yemen, with Qatar reaffirming its support for Saudi Arabia’s efforts against the Houthi armed group following recent advances by the militants along the Red Sea coast.