Barrack: When I said that ‘powerful leadership regimes,’ whether benevolent monarchies or the kind of monarchical republics seen elsewhere in the region, are the only structures that have actually worked in the Middle East, I was speaking from decades of hard-earned observation, not ideology.
Look at the track record. Countries that tried to adopt Western-style democracy quickly after the Arab Spring largely failed, often descending into chaos, civil war or new forms of authoritarianism.
Meanwhile, stable, results-oriented leadership in places like the Gulf monarchies has delivered security, economic growth, modernization and real improvements in people’s lives.
Israel, which one can rightly point to as a vibrant democracy in the region, stands as a notable outlier that has thrived under extremely strong, bold leadership capable of delivering security and prosperity under extraordinary challenges, even as some critics describe it as a "flawed democracy."
Turkey, operating as a presidential republic with regular multiparty elections, also demonstrates how strong, centralized leadership under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has delivered stability, economic dynamism and assertive regional influence, though critics have described it as a hybrid regime with strong authoritarian tendencies.
This is not a change in U.S. policy away from supporting democratic governance and human rights. It is a realistic assessment of what produces stability so that human rights and prosperity can take root.
President Trump’s approach has always been peace through strength: deal with the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. We support effective governance that prevents chaos, counters terrorism and creates conditions for long-term progress.
That includes backing strong, accountable leaders who deliver for their people, whether in monarchies that have modernized successfully or in evolving systems that prioritize security and opportunity over imported models that have repeatedly collapsed.