• Everyone concerned with the Eastern Mediterranean's future will be watching closely whether Ambassador Barrack's approach or Tel Aviv's views affect Trump's opinions concerning Syria more strongly
  
  The author is an American scholar.

ISTANBUL 

When I saw the first reports on X, I did a double take – whoa! So, just to make sure, I went directly to the US Embassy Ankara’s X account. Sure enough, the messages were exactly as I had seen on social media [1].

Wow. After decades of wincing through the term of every US Ambassador to Türkiye, Thomas Barrack's arrival, even after only weeks, seemed like the abrupt, unexpected appearance of spring, like the dingy dust and cobwebs of a neglected house suddenly wiped away, the windows thrust wide open, and bright sunlight allowed to burst in.

Ambassador Barrack’s first messages

Several days later, US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Representative for Syria Thomas Barrack followed his statements on X with a 30-minute interview on Türkiye's NTV news channel, the first of his term [2]. Barrack stated that the new US policy towards Syria will be fundamentally different because "Western powers have wanted to manipulate this region for their own purposes." [3]

Since those first messages from Barrack, his comments have steadily deconstructed decades of erroneous US policy towards not only Türkiye, but the entire region, policies that were built largely on ignorance, supercilious dishonesty, and greed [4]. In doing so, Barrack brought a new perspective to US policy in this region, a perspective that –at least so far– approaches the history and cultures of the states and peoples all around the Eastern Mediterranean with far greater awareness and humility than was the case in the past.

Backlash

Unfortunately, not everyone comprehends the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean in the same manner, and that has always been a primary source of Washington's confusion as various lobbies and media figures jockey to influence public perceptions and official decisions regarding this region. Reports of a concerted effort to brand Barrack as some sort of traitor or anti-Israel malefactor have already emerged from the Beltway [5]. Even though Barrack has several strengths on his side — notably, his long-standing relationship with US President Donald Trump and Trump’s desire to avoid new problems in Syria — Trump's mercurial character and his tendency to be swayed by whoever most recently has his ear mean that Barrack's standing in Washington will require close attention.

Syria is the conflict nexus

The true test of Trump’s foreign policies and Barrack's intentions will be Syria, for which Trump also appointed Barrack as his special envoy. Everyone following the Syrian situation is aware that the current, most pressing problem is the various ethnic or religious factions that aspire to some sort of political autonomy vis-à-vis Damascus.

The recent conflict in southern Syria prompted intervention from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but there were no strong statements from the US government beyond limited attempts to mediate. Barrack announced the eventual ceasefire [6] but later criticized Israel’s involvement in the situation and affirmed support for Syria’s fledgling government.[7]

Over the following days, eyes turned from the crisis in south Syria to the ongoing talks over the YPG/PKK-led Syrian Defense Forces' (SDF) integration into the central Syrian military. On July 19, Barrack met with the SDF’s leader, Mazlum Abdi, which resulted in an anodyne announcement over X [8].

Within days, the SDF’s leadership released several contradictory statements, and tensions began to rise [9]. Previously, Amb. Barrack had stated the reality known to all regional observers but denied by Washington officials for the past decade: that the SDF and its related elements are branches of the PKK [10]. Barrack also made it clear that the US expected the SDF to integrate peacefully and speedily with the Syrian state’s military.

From that point, tensions continued to rise until on Aug. 9, the Syrian government withdrew from discussions in Paris sponsored by the US and France. Shortly afterwards, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that the SDF needed to immediately begin the process of integration or face concerted action on multiple fronts. All of this was accompanied by Ankara and Damascus signing several security agreements.

The litmus test

Media reports indicate that military action against the SDF is imminent if they do not take the necessary steps toward integration [11]. For his part, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa also stated that unifying Syria should be done through dialogue and compromise, not through force, and that no actors have the ability to divide Syria, so peaceful compromise is the most constructive route for all Syrians [12].

This is the geopolitical juncture at which Washington's policies towards Syria will be put to the test. Israel's current government is determined to prevent Syria's unification and economic development, bombs targets across Syria at will, and militarily occupies the Golan Heights and nearby areas in Syria. Israel also supports both the Druze factions in Syria’s south and the YPG/PKK-led SDF in Syria’s northeast [13].

The Damascus government, as well Türkiye, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan --countries which border Syria and thus are directly affected by unrest there -- all want to see a stable, unified and developing Syria which will contribute positively to the region's overall prosperity. But their perspective directly contradicts Tel Aviv's. For that reason, everyone concerned with the Eastern Mediterranean's future will be watching closely whether Ambassador Barrack's approach or Tel Aviv's views (with which the opinions of both US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steven Witkoff closely align) affect Trump’s opinions concerning Syria more strongly.

A formidable task

Subsequently, Barrack's great challenge will be to promote policies that will aid Syria's stability and development, and to find ways to make sure that President Trump supports those initiatives despite Israel's opposition [14]. Trump has maintained a steadfastly pro-Israel stance even if he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do not always see eye-to-eye.

The Netanyahu government has already defied Trump several times, and we know that both Trump and some important pro-Trump media figures feel misgivings about the Israeli government’s activities and decisions. Can Barrack stave off the anti-Syrian and anti-Türkiye forces in Washington long enough for Syria to achieve political and social stability?

Given the challenges he faces, it seems that we should welcome Amb. Barrack not only with a hearty “hoş geldiniz” but also with an emphatic “kolay gelsin”! [15]

[1] https://x.com/USAMBTurkiye/status/1926667533102301388

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izvJKtwjnt8. Amb. Barrack also gave an interview to Anadolu Ajansı (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxD9HPMQXpw). The spate of interviews that Amb. Barrack provided shortly after his arrival in Ankara indicates his awareness of the US Embassy’s need for more proactive, transparent and honest public diplomacy in Türkiye.

[3] See 11.00 of the video cited in Footnote 2. At 22.15 in the same video, Amb. Barrack terms the European Union’s refusal to admit Türkiye as “ridiculous.”

[4] Also see Amb. Barrack’s comments in early July: https://www.state.gov/briefings-foreign-press-centers/strengthening-us-turkiye-relations-and-advancing-relations-with-syria.

[5] https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/yunus-paksoy/barracki-kovdurmak-isteyenler-kim-42888086

[6] https://apnews.com/article/syria-druze-bedouins-israel-clashes-fighting-54476ab26aac668babe858aa805b7170

[7] https://apnews.com/article/syria-us-barrack-israel-druze-ede9f5299c4e59a477736842adcd7de9; https://apnews.com/video/us-envoy-reiterates-washingtons-support-for-the-new-government-in-syria-0884f7000d034071b51d7fdefc476d26

[8] https://x.com/USEmbassySyria/status/1946655485773692960

[9] https://x.com/yunuspaksoy/status/1948463043374887216; https://x.com/yunuspaksoy/status/1949546107995869242; https://x.com/yunuspaksoy/status/1950155684458217640

[10] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-envoy-says-sdf-is-ypg-pkk-rules-out-separate-sdf-state-in-syria/3628638

[11] https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/08/16/syria-kurds-hts-sdf-turkey-us/

[12] https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/08/17/syrian-president-says-unifying-country-should-not-be-with-blood-

[13] https://levant24.com/articles/2025/04/israels-post-assad-strategy-in-syria-the-southern-push-and-its-aims/

[14] Over the past six months, Secretary Rubio has given almost no attention to the Eastern Mediterranean outside of Israel. Envoy Witkoff also has had little involvement in Syria, though he was involved with the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

[15] “Hoş geldiniz” is the traditional Turkish welcoming phrase and means, literally, “you are well-come.” “Kolay gelsin” can be translated into English with a long phrase along the lines of “may your task be accomplished easily.”

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Anadolu's editorial policy.