Politics Service
The US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, made statements following his appointment as the Special Envoy for Iraq. Making a statement on his social media account, Barrack lumped Iraq, Syria, and Türkiyetogether, saying, "Balancing these three nations requires a single, consistent point of American contact and leverage — transcending tribal, religious, or sectarian differences." Barrack's statement, which places Syria, Iraq, and Türkiyeon the same level, exposes the mission assigned to the country and the region by the US and the Trump administration. Seeking to redesign the Middle East, US imperialism is on the one hand supporting sectarian policies whilst imposing "authoritarian-monarchical" administrations on the region.
Dr Berçin Yiğitaslan, Foreign Policy Director at the Institute of Population Studies (Toplum Çalışmaları Enstitüsü) and a faculty member at Bilkent University, evaluated Barrack's outburst to BirGün. Stating, "If what is happening in the country is part of a foreign policy design, the Turkish public has not bought into it so far," Yiğitaslan added, "Is he talking about balancing them against each other, or is he talking about balancing the three countries as a whole? That is the real issue that needs to be explained. If he is talking about balancing them against each other, then there is actually a single structure that is the decisive factor in all three countries, having a presence and influence in all three: the Kurds."
'FAILED STATES'
Underlining that the "tribal, religious, or sectarian differences" mentioned in Barrack's post do not apply to Türkiye, Yiğitaslan stated, "Tom Barrack approaches Türkiye like a late 19th-century Orientalist. It is as if the last hundred years do not exist in Tom Barrack's memory or his knowledge of history." Indicating that there is no aspect of Barrack's post that could be considered positive from Türkiye's perspective, Yiğitaslan added, "Firstly, grouping Türkiye with 'failed states' like Iraq and Syria is an insult. Secondly, Tom Barrack wanted to do something here by grouping the countries for which he received authority, but if a strategic 'three tripods' for permanent stability in the Middle East needs to be mentioned, these could be Turkey, Egypt, and Iran. The choice of Iraq and Syria is a wrong selection. Moreover, American intervention using leverage in these three countries is something that has never existed in reality or history."
Stating that the message given indicates America does not expect democracy for the region, Yiğitaslan said, "There is a new approach in America's stance towards the region, which links it solely to the commercial interests between the countries." Touching upon the legitimacy that the US has created for the ruling power, Yiğitaslan spoke as follows: "In exchange for foreign policy success, this might be slightly softening the government's hand in domestic politics regarding the voters on economic issues, human rights issues, and the pressure operations targeting the opposition."
FOREIGN POLICY DESIGN
Expressing that even if a design targeting Türkiye has been planned from the outside, this design depends on many domestic elements and these are not things that the Turkish voter can easily stomach, Yiğitaslan continued her words: "Today, minor polls have started coming in; there is largely a support for these processes aimed at the opposition. If what is happening in the country is part of a foreign policy design, the Turkish public has not bought into it so far. We see that even among the AK Party voters, this matter does not sit well with them. We understand this not only from the voters but also from the statements of individuals we can call 'opinion leaders' on news bulletins. The Republic of Türkiye is still a democracy, and the ballot box will come before us. The Turkish people will make a choice, and that choice will actually be an answer to these debates."
TRUMP PLANS TO ATTEND
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made evaluations to Bloomberg TV as part of his visit to Singapore. Responding to a question regarding US President Trump's attendance at the NATO Summit in Ankara on 7-8 July with "As far as we know, yes, he plans to attend", Fidan conveyed that Trump, whom the AKP President Erdoğan spoke with on the phone several times last month, stated each time that he would attend the summit. Emphasising that despite the political rhetoric, the US maintains its commitment to the Alliance and shows no sign that it plans to implement warnings that it could withdraw from NATO, Fidan used the following expressions: "The US is constantly putting pressure on allies to increase defence spending and take greater responsibility for their own security. The Europeans got the message and have already taken steps within the framework of NATO to raise their defence budgets. We will review the progress made when the leaders come together."
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled ABD’nin planı halka çarpar,published in BirGün newspaper on June 3, 2026.
