The US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack is under attack in Turkey and the United States for saying Middle East countries require “strong leadership.”
The Turkish opposition has called for Barrack to be declared persona non grata, while the Wall Street Journal published an editorial arguing that the ambassador is undermining US interests. The Turkish government has remained silent.
The controversy stems from Barrack's comments on April 17 at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where he argued that only 'strong leadership regimes' have been successful in the Middle East. Acknowledging that his views might be criticized as 'anti-democratic,' he stated, 'Either benevolent monarchies or some form of monarchical republics [have been successful], everything else faded and evaporated after the Arab Spring.'
The remarks and the ensuing reaction marked one of the most active diplomatic moments of the ADF.
BARRACK IS UNWANTED BY OPPOSITION
Having previously drawn criticism for suggesting the US had provided 'legitimacy' to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Barrack’s latest statement united both the right and left wings of the Turkish opposition.
CHP Chair Özgür Özel said that Barrack is 'persona non grata' in terms of Turkish democracy, saying, 'Unless he retracts these words and apologizes to the Republic of Turkey and everyone living in this country, Tom Barrack should not serve in this post on this soil for another minute.'
Speaking to reporters in Strasbourg where he was attending Council of Europe contacts, İYİ Party Chair Müsavat Dervişoğlu said Turkey's direction was defined by democratic and rule-of-law principles, and that proposing a monarchy was unacceptable both politically and diplomatically. He characterized Barrack's remarks as open interference in Turkey's democratic trajectory and added: 'Had we been in power, this ambassador would have been declared persona non grata and would not have been allowed to remain in the country for even a minute,' Dervişoğlu said.
Ahmet Davutoğlu, chair of the Gelecek Party and a former ally of President Erdoğan, urged the government not to remain silent toward Barrack. Zafer Party leader Ümit Özdağ remarked, 'The American ambassador has no right to look down on us in Turkey and tell us how to manage the Middle East.' Former Ambassador and İYİ Party International Relations Chair Ahmet Erozan stated that he would have stood up at the ADF to tell him, 'You are declared persona non grata.'
Left-wing TİP leader Erkan Baş said, 'Turkey is not limited to Erdoğan; our country will never be a part of your dirty alliance! We will not just criticize you; we will expel you from our country, never to return.'
While Ankara has not issued an official or unofficial statement regarding Barrack’s comments, the ambassador doubled down on his remarks on April 22, defending his views as being based on 'decades of hard-won observations.' The ambassador cited Turkey and Israel as examples of countries that have thrived under 'strong leaders.'
In the U.S., Barrack drew criticism from the Wall Street Journal in an editorial titled “Tom Barrack Has His Own Mideast Policy.”
'The job of American ambassadors is to advocate for US policy in the countries where they are stationed, not to advocate for host countries against US policy. The US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, might need a reminder of this,' the editorial stated, criticizing Barrack’s forum remarks. 'This is such a sensitive region, and it is striking that Barrack would act so irresponsibly.'
