US national intelligence director says former American strategy of ‘regime change’ is over under President Trump
Tulsi Gabbard’s remarks ahead of the Manama Dialogue, the annual security summit organized by the International Institute for Security Studies in Bahrain, underscore remarks made by Trump during his trip to the Middle East earlier this year.
During Trump’s second term, previous American goals of promoting human rights and democracy in the region were replaced by an emphasis on economic prosperity and regional stability. This includes securing a ceasefire that would stop the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, as well as forcing an end to Israel’s 12-day war against Iran after sending American bombers to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“For decades, our foreign policy has been stuck in an unproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation-building,” said Gabbard, a former member of Congress from Hawaii and a U.S. Army National Guard veteran.
“This was a one-size-fits-all approach of overthrowing regimes, trying to impose our system of governance on others, intervening in barely understood conflicts, and walking away with more enemies than allies.”
He added: “The results: Trillions spent, countless lives lost and in many cases greater security threats created.” This assessment echoes Trump’s own thoughts on the wars that followed the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. He reached an agreement in his first term to withdraw from Afghanistan, which has become a chaotic departure in 2021 under Biden. Meanwhile, he embraced Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Shara, a former al-Qaeda fighter once held in an American prison in Iraq. One thing Gabbard didn’t mention was Trump’s deployment of warships off the coast of South America, deadly strikes targeting boats allegedly smuggling drugs, and ordering the CIA to conduct covert operations. The attack targeting Venezuela has increased fears of invasion and speculation that Trump may try to oust its authoritarian president.
However, Trump’s serious difficulties in the Middle East continue. In her brief speech, Gabbard noted that the ceasefire in Gaza remains “fragile.” The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency also acknowledged that Iran remains a cause for concern, as he said renewed activity had recently been detected at the country’s nuclear facilities.
Gabbard, who attended the event as the government shutdown was approaching in the country, said, “The road ahead will not be simple or easy, but the president is very determined on this path.”
A journalist from the Associated Press was accredited and issued a visa to cover the summit, but the Bahraini government said late Wednesday that permit was revoked as it conducted a “post-approval review.” The government did not provide detailed information as to why the visa was cancelled. Earlier the same day, the AP published a story about long-detained activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja starting an “open-ended” hunger strike in Bahrain over his internationally criticized prison sentence.
Al-Khawaja called off his hunger strike late Friday after receiving letters from the European Union and Denmark about his case, his daughter, Maryam al-Khawaja, said.
