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The United States Special Envoy to Syria praised Damascus for achieving what he described as "epic" and "heroic" progress in the year since the fall of Bashar Assad's regime, while cautioning Western powers against imposing their own political models on the war-torn nation.
Tom Barrack, speaking at the Doha Forum on Sunday, called Syria's transformation under new leadership a remarkable accomplishment that deserves international support rather than external pressure to conform to Western democratic standards.
"It's heroic and epic what they've done in what will be one year and a couple of days," Barrack told attendees at the panel discussion in Qatar's capital.
Since Assad's ouster in December 2024, Syria has been governed by an administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The new government has undertaken political and economic reforms while working to strengthen social cohesion and build relationships with neighboring countries and international partners.
Barrack emphasized that the international community should focus on enabling Syria to develop governance structures that reflect the will of its own people rather than imposing predetermined solutions from abroad.
"What we all have to do is help them entitle them and encourage them and allow them to form the kind of government and inclusive regime that they, the Syrians, would like to do," he said.
The US diplomat invoked the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, which divided Ottoman territories between British and French zones of influence, as an example of how external powers have repeatedly mishandled Middle Eastern affairs. The secret accord between Britain and France, with Russian agreement, fundamentally shaped modern borders in the region and remains controversial for ignoring local populations' aspirations.
"Since Sykes-Picot, almost every decision that the West has imposed on the region rather than letting the region evolve itself has been a mistake," Barrack said, pointing to interventions in Libya and Iraq as cautionary examples.
"Every time we step in, whether it's Libya, Iraq, all of the places that we've been to try and create a colonized mandate, it has not been very successful. We end up with paralysis," he added.
Regarding tensions along the Syrian-Israeli border, Barrack indicated that finding a resolution would require patience and incremental progress, describing it as "a process" requiring "baby steps."
Barrack, who also serves as US Ambassador to Ankara, commended Türkiye and Qatar for their instrumental roles in brokering the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement. He specifically highlighted Türkiye's willingness to maintain dialogue with Hamas despite facing criticism.
"If Türkiye didn't step in alongside, who was also criticized for having a dialogue with Hamas, we would not be where we are today," the envoy said.
The ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, ended a two-year Israeli military campaign in Gaza that killed more than 70,000 people, predominantly women and children, and wounded nearly 171,000 others since October 2023. The agreement was mediated by Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, with backing from the United States.
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