Shifting role of US in Middle East is like ‘raising a teenager’, ambassador says

Shifting role of US in Middle East is like ‘raising a teenager’, ambassador says Submitted by Sean Mathews on Tue, 10/20/2026 - 18:59 Washington's role as world guarantor for eight decades 'is no longer there', Tom Barrack says during Qatar's security forum US special envoy for Syria and US ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack speaks during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, on 17 April 2026 (Antalya Diplomacy Forum/AFP) Off The US no longer wants its “grand bargain” with the Arabian Gulf, providing security in exchange for oil, and is “transitioning” to a new approach, in a major…