Tom Barrack

The illusion of change in Iraq: Baghdad's militia shake-up masks a deeper Iranian strategy

BEHIND THE LINES: The decision by Zaidan’s allies to integrate their armed elements into state security forces represents an effort by a pro-Iranian element to consolidate its power.

Qais al-Khazali, head of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia in Iraq, speaks during a rally last year in Baghdad to present the Sadiqoon Movement ahead of parliamentary elections.
 US ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington.

Trump consolidates Middle East policy by appointing Special Envoy Barrack to Iraq, Syria - analysis

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York, US, September 24, 2025.

Trump, Sharaa hold phone call, discuss lifting sanctions, importance of 'prioritizing diplomacy'

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, meets with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Ankara, last April. Ankara is quietly assembling the architecture of permanent regional power, the writer says.

Turkey eyes post-Iran Middle East as regional order shifts - analysis


Israel will strike Iraq if militias seek to support Hezbollah, US envoy warns Baghdad - report

The warning came a month after sources in the Northern Command told Walla that Israel was seeing an increased threat from the country.

 Tom Barrack speaks with members of the press at Trump Tower in New York City, U.S. January 10, 2017.

US Envoy Tom Barrack's 'integration' vision sparks debate on Syria's future - interview

At Bahrain’s Manama Dialogue, US ambassador Tom Barrack urged Gulf leaders to back Syria’s reintegration, saying the war-torn nation’s future depends on “integration, not isolation.”

US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack attends a press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, in Damascus, Syria September 16, 2025.

Israel, Hezbollah closest to war since ceasefire as group's disarmament lags - analysis

“Hezbollah is rebuilding far more quickly than the Lebanese Army can disarm it,” Western intelligence sources told The Jerusalem Post last week.

Supporters of Lebanon's Shiite terror group Hezbollah attend the funeral of terrorists killed in recent Israeli attacks, in the southern city of Nabatiyeh on November 2, 2025.

If Hezbollah continues resisting disarmament, Lebanon cannot move forward - analysis

Hezbollah is continuing to position itself as the defender of Lebanon as a “free, sovereign, independent Arab nation," despite official Lebanese army efforts to disarm the terror group.

A Hezbollah supporter holds a Palestinian flag and a cutout image of late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at a ceremony held by Hezbollah to commemorate the first anniversary of Nasrallah's killing by Israel, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, September 27, 2025.

Syrian President Sharaa to make first ever visit to White House in coming weeks

It would mark Sharaa's second visit to the United States, following his address to the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives to address the 80th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 24

Lebanon, US envoy clash over Israeli strikes and Hezbollah's role

US envoy Morgan Ortagus meets Lebanon’s leaders to discuss Israeli strikes, Hezbollah disarmament, and efforts to stabilize the region.

US envoy Morgan Ortagus speaks in Beirut, August 26, 2025; illustrative.

'Hezbollah rebuilding faster than Lebanese Army dismantling,' Western intel. officials tell 'Post'

Western officials warn Hezbollah’s rapid rearmament could trigger Israeli action if Lebanon fails to act.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah block the streets with burning tires as they rally in cars and motorbikes to protest the government's endorsement of a plan to disarm it, in Beirut's southern suburbs early on August 8, 2025

Syria, Lebanon key to next phase of Middle East peace, says US Ambassador Tom Barrack - analysis

US Ambassador Tom Barrack recently argue that the Gaza peace deal will be remembered as "a defining moment in modern Middle Eastern diplomacy." How can that affect Lebanon's stability?

 An illustrative image of a Hezbollah flag in the backdrop of an individual holding a weapon.

Turkey vs Iran: The endless struggle holding the Middle East hostage - opinion

Turkey views its former territories in the Fertile Crescent as a natural strategic extension of its national security, and Iran’s growing influence on its southern border is an absolute red line.

 Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian meets with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in Tehran, Iran September 3, 2023.

Sweida’s crisis and the quiet path to a Syria-Israel security deal - opinion

The US is playing a mediating role in the Syria-Israel security discussions, and is also deeply involved in the agreement known as the 'Sweida roadmap,' publicly announced in Damascus.

People stand next to a destroyed tank turret, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and government forces, in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 25, 2025.