WSJ: US envoy Tom Burke told its Gulf allies that Washington's longtime role as the region's security guarantor is undergoing a major shift, calling for Middle Eastern countries to take greater responsibility for their own security through regional partnerships. "America as a guarantor to the world, for the last 80 years, is no longer there," Barak said at the World Security Forum in Doha, Qatar. He emphasized that the change does not mean that Washington is abandoning the region, but described it as a "message for realignment." Barak said that the traditional arrangement linking US security guarantees to the supply of oil from the Gulf no longer reflects Washington's priorities. He pointed to emerging regional alliances, including the defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, as part of a move toward more diverse security arrangements. "Every time we try to intervene and change the person or the regime, it seems like it was a mistake," he said, citing past US interventions in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. However, Barak sought to reassure the regional partners, declaring: "We are not leaving." He admitted that the transition would be unsafe, adding:
"We don't have a playbook. We are all on Shema. We can go to one show at a time."