The United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated on Friday, October 31, at the annual security summit ‘Manama Dialogue’ in Bahrain, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies based in London, that the era of US support for “regime change or nation-building” strategies during Donald Trump’s presidency has come to an end. This decision was made because the previous US practices not only backfired but also wasted American taxpayers’ resources.
For decades, Gabbard mentioned, US foreign policy has been trapped in a futile cycle of regime change or nation-building. This repetitive pattern includes overthrowing regimes, attempting to impose governance systems on people, intervening in conflicts that are almost incomprehensible, ultimately resulting in more enemies than allies, costing trillions of dollars, losing countless lives, and in many cases creating more severe security threats.
Her remarks echo President Trump’s earlier statements in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he declared that the era of US support for “nation-building” has ended, and the US will no longer impose a particular governance system on foreign countries.
Trump stated, “The so-called supporters of ‘nation-building’ have ultimately destroyed more countries than they have built, and the complex societies they interfere with are often not understood even by themselves. Peace, prosperity, and progress ultimately come not from a complete negation of one’s own traditions but from embracing a country’s traditions, while you have created modern miracles in an Arab way.”
President Trump praised the Gulf countries for “opening up a new future in the Middle East, replacing chaos with commercial prosperity,” and contrasted the success of the Gulf states with the failures of American intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq, criticizing “nation-building” supporters, neoconservatives, or liberal non-profit organizations for “spending trillions of dollars but failing to build cities like Kabul and Baghdad.”
Gabbard’s speech in Bahrain further highlights the characteristic features of Trump’s second-term foreign policy, rejecting the interventionism of previous US governments and focusing on economic cooperation, promoting regional partnerships, and avoiding the easy use of force.
Former US Ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, James Jeffrey, recently wrote for the Hoover Institution think tank that Trump’s Middle East policy is not “isolationism focused on resolving major international issues,” but sees the Middle East as a continued priority, expanding on the Abraham Accords promoted during his first term and seizing the opportunity to weaken Iranian influence to consolidate regional stability.
Jeffrey noted, “This trend aims to achieve reconciliation between Israel and Arab states, and establish regional stability, which still requires US involvement, but without the need for significant resources or assuming war risks.”
Jeffrey pointed out that President Trump’s speech in Riyadh represents a “dramatic shift” in US policy, based on three principles: refusal to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, reliance on local forces to promote stability, and focus on commercial opportunities that align with US and regional interests.
During Trump’s second term, these principles have seemingly guided Washington to facilitate a Gaza ceasefire, end the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and seize the opportunity after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities to end Israel’s 12-day standoff with Iran.
In her speech in Bahrain, Gabbard also pointed out that the Gaza ceasefire agreement is still “fragile,” and Iran’s nuclear activities have once again drawn the attention of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
She stated, “The road ahead will not be easy, but the President has made a resolute decision to continue moving forward.”