Big insult to Arab countries and their leaders as Trump’s envoy says, ‘There’s no place called the Middle East, it’s just…’

New Delhi: US President Doland Trump’s Turkish envoy, Tom Barrack, has sent shockwaves through the Arab world. He declared, “There’s no place called the Middle East, it’s just a gathering of tribes and villages.” Barrak is currently the US Special Envoy for Syria, and his statement comes at a time when the Trump administration is engaged in efforts to facilitate Israel-Syria peace talks and end the Gaza War in the region.

European leaders created artificial nation-states

In an interview with Saudi media Asharq News, Barrak said that European leaders, through the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, dismantled the Ottoman Empire and created artificial nation-states. He said it was wrong to think that this region, home to over 100 ethnic groups, could ever have a common political understanding. According to Barrack, real life here does not centre on the nation-state, but rather begins with the individual, then the family, the village, the tribe, then religion, and finally the nation. Therefore, nationalism, unlike in Europe, can never work here.

What was the Sykes-Picot Pact?

In 1916, Britain and France, with the consent of Russia and Italy, entered into a secret agreement known as the Sykes-Picot Pact. Under this agreement, the Ottoman Empire was divided into pieces, and its territories were divided. These straight lines drawn on the map divided various ethnic communities into different countries.

The most striking example is the Kurdish community, which was divided into Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. The result was decades of rebellion and violence.

Impact of Barrack’s statement

Barrack’s statement comes at a time when Trump is once again trying to advance the Abraham Accords and unite Arab countries with Israel. In such a situation, to say in the Arab world that there is no place called the Middle East is tantamount to challenging the very foundation of political geography. Many scholars agree with Barrak. They argue that artificial boundaries and ethnic imbalances have turned the region into a powder keg. This is the result of persistent instability in the region.

Many experts argue that while it’s easy to blame the British and French, the real culprits are also local rulers who suppressed ethnic diversity for power, who wreaked havoc on their own people.

Barrak’s statement is both a harsh truth and an insult to Arab leaders.

HIGHLIGHTS

• It is a big insult to Arab countries and their leaders.
• Trump’s envoy says, ‘There’s no place called the Middle East.’
• Doland Trump’s Turkish envoy, Tom Barrack, has sent shockwaves through the Arab world.
• He declared, “There’s no place called the Middle East, it’s just a gathering of tribes and villages.”

In an interview with Saudi media Asharq News, Barrak said that European leaders, through the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, dismantled the Ottoman Empire and created artificial nation-states. He said it was wrong to think that this region, home to over 100 ethnic groups, could ever have a common political understanding.