The US national intelligence director has told officials in the Middle East that America's former strategy of "regime change or nation building" had ended under President Donald Trump.
Tulsi Gabbard's comments on Friday before the Manama Dialogue, an annual security summit in Bahrain put on by the International Institute for Security Studies, underline remarks Trump offered on a trip earlier this year to the Middle East.
In Trump’s second term, previous American goals of fostering human rights and democracy promotion in the region have been replaced by an emphasis on economic prosperity and regional stability.
That includes securing a ceasefire that has halted Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, as well as forcing an end to Israel’s 12-day war on Iran after sending American bombers to attack Iranian nuclear sites.
"For decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation building," said Gabbard, a former Congresswoman from Hawaii and US Army National Guard veteran.
"It was a one-size-fits-all approach, of toppling regimes, trying to impose our system of governance on others, intervene in conflicts that were barely understood and walk away with more enemies than allies."
She added: "The results: Trillions spent, countless lives lost, and in many cases, the creation of greater security threats."
Commitment despite complexity
That assessment mirrors Trump's own thinking about the wars that followed the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York and Washington. He reached a deal in his first term to withdraw from Afghanistan, which in the Biden administration became a chaotic departure in 2021.
But serious challenges remain, particularly in the Middle East. Gabbard noted in her brief remarks that the ceasefire in Gaza remained "fragile." She also acknowledged Iran remained a concern as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said renewed movement has been detected recently at the country’s nuclear sites.
The development follows Trump's denial that he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, even amid reports that the US may expand what it calls its counter-drug campaign in the Caribbean.
When asked by reporters on Friday if media reports that he was considering strikes within Venezuela were true, Trump said, "No."
"The road ahead will not be simple or easy but the president is very committed down this road," said Gabbard, who attended the Manama event as a government shutdown grinds on back home.
