What kind of 'wonderful work' did the colonial governor do in Turkey?!

If a poll were taken right now on “who is the most hated person in Turkey,” it is indisputable that even if he didn't take first place, the US colonial governor Tom Barrack would be in the top three. But look, because of the guided “absolute nullity” missile fired at the CHP, we have almost forgotten even that.

Yet, there are important developments on the Barrack front as well.

Specifically, four days ago, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, has played an “invaluable role” regarding Syria and noted the following:

“As his tenure in this role concludes, with his expertise, relationships, and understanding of the 'America First' agenda, he will continue to play a leading role for the Trump administration in both Syria and Iraq and continue to achieve gains on behalf of our great country. Ambassador Tom Barrack has been and continues to be a central interlocutor on Syria and a key trusted figure on Iraq.”

Rubio also described Barrack as an “indispensable member” of the Trump team, reporting that he is not only the Ambassador to Turkey but also someone who has advanced the Trump administration's strategic cooperation with the Syrian government, and that he will continue to play a vital role in working with the new government in Iraq, assessing that, “I have full confidence in him, and he works with the full support of the State Department. His continued willingness to lead this work provides great benefit to the American people.”

The pro-government media interpreted these statements by Rubio as “Tom Barrack’s title as Special Envoy for Syria has expired” and ran headlines saying, “A Barrack has passed through Syria.”

One media outlet, the government's biggest supporter, claimed that “the US has dismissed Barrack, who was targeted by Israel.” But for some reason, it did not specify why, when, or how Israel targeted him. All we know is that he is accused by the Israeli side of being an “Arab nationalist.”

In short, while our media was ready to mourn for this man who cuts a shroud for Turkey every day, Trump put their hearts at ease by announcing that in addition to his current duties, he would also serve as the Special Envoy for Iraq. He explained the reason by saying, “We are in a period where we are advancing our strategic cooperation with the Syrian and Iraqi governments and our relations with them continue to grow.”

More importantly, he emphasized that Tom Barrack has done “wonderful work” in Turkey.

Three Countries in the Same Pot

First, let's look at what colonial governor Barrack has done in Syria and Iraq.

After making Colani, the leader of HTS—who turned out to be trained by British and US intelligence—the head of Syria and seating him at the helm, they used Barrack’s “invaluable role” to both sign the agreements they wanted with him and turn the country into Israel's backyard and a route for attacks on Iran. That wasn't enough; they made the Syrian PKK, which they have been feeding and raising for decades, a partner in the administration.

Trump's last phone call with Shara is enough; they discussed political and security developments in the region as well as bilateral relations... They talked about ways of joint cooperation that would support Syria's stability and contribute to the economic recovery process in the coming period... While agreeing to follow up on files of mutual importance, they stated that this would serve the interests of both countries and contribute to supporting security and stability in the region.

In summary, while Syria has been completely brought under US control with Barrack’s “invaluable role,” Ahmet Hakan, whom Erdoğan said “is doing what is necessary in his column,” explained what the Erdoğanists think about the appointment of a trustee to the CHP as follows:

“Our Reis is the leader who appointed a trustee to Syria. The CHP and such are small for him.”

Now that it is understood which leader actually appointed a “trustee” to Syria, let's move on to Barrack’s “key role” in Iraq.

Don't be fooled by his appointment as Special Envoy for Iraq a few days ago; he has actually been performing this duty de facto since February.

How so?

Last October, Trump appointed Mark Savaya, an Iraqi-origin businessman who deals in the legal hemp trade in Detroit and has no diplomatic experience, as special envoy. However, it was noted that he was dismissed in February, and the reason was the escalating “Iranian influence” between Washington and Baghdad and his inability to prevent former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from being nominated for this position again.

At that time, Trump threatened that if Maliki were re-elected prime minister due to his “crazy policies and ideology,” the US would withdraw its support for Iraq, saying, “Let's make Iraq great again.”

Upon this, both the Iraqi Presidency and the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council announced that the process of forming a government was a “matter of sovereignty” and that “foreign interference would not be accepted.” Humam Hammudi, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, met with US Embassy officials in Baghdad and called for “mutual understanding” in the process of forming a new government.

The target name, Maliki, also challenged Trump with the words, “I am not taking a step back out of respect for my country, our sovereignty, and the will of my people. It is not the place of foreign powers to say who should or should not be voted for in Iraq. I will take this race to the end.”

However, after Tom Barrack’s face-to-face meeting with Maliki on February 27, all balances changed. Ultimately, Ali al-Zeidi, a businessman, banker, and TV owner, sat in the prime minister's chair as a “consensus candidate.”

Fidan and the Pro-Government Media Were Also Against It

During this process, the pro-government media and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also displayed an attitude worth remembering.

As if the US hadn't been the one pulling the strings, the media, which fell into a panic of “The man who executed Saddam is returning. Will Maliki be prime minister?” emphasized that Maliki had said of Erdoğan that he “is trying to rule the region with Ottoman dreams” and characterized Turkey as a “hostile state”... After the balances shifted against Maliki, they experienced the joy that “the book of Nouri al-Maliki, an enemy of Turkey, has been closed in Iraq.”

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, on the other hand, before the process had even reached this point, when asked, “Turkey objects to Maliki, right?” replied, “Our official policy is that we never have a situation where we prefer not to have a government or a prime minister that comes through elections, through parliament, especially in Iraq. Whoever comes, we will work there.” After that, he made the following comment regarding Trump’s “Maliki should not be Prime Minister” threat:

“I think this will be taken very seriously by the Iraqi side. I think so for this reason: There were UN Security Council resolutions taken regarding Iraq that have been going on for a very long time. Some of these are still around, even if they are not declared much. Even now, after Iraqi oil is sold, the money goes to America. If a certain amount of dollars does not come to Iraqi banks from New York every month, there is no chance for the Iraqi economy to run. Such a mechanism still exists. America has a lot in its hands.”

Now that Trump has appointed the same man in all three countries and has brought Syria and Iraq into line through him, shouldn't one also ask what kind of “wonderful work” Barrack has done in Turkey?

Are There Also Those They Have “Neutralized” in Turkey?

Trump’s latest statements were also remarkable.

While claiming that they did not intentionally target the country's regular army during military operations against Iran and explaining that completely liquidating a country's military institutions is a “mistake” and that “they did not want to repeat the Iraq experience,” he said:

“Great mistakes were made in previous wars and everything was destroyed. When you destroy all the institutions and the army of a country, that country cannot rebuild itself for 40 years... Look at what happened in Iraq. We did a very bad job there. (Liquidating the army and institutions) It was truly stupid. We did not make that mistake in the Iran operation.”

While emphasizing that they did not touch those who were “moderate” in the Iranian army, Trump said, “There are other people who are not moderate. We neutralized them. We also disabled various names in the leadership ranks.”

If only Trump had also explained what the US did to the Turkish Army with the Balyoz and Ergenekon plots, or even the July 15 coup attempt, which former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the US was “as clear as day behind,” or whom they “neutralized” because they did not see them as “moderate”!..

While Trump, with whom the government cannot say a single word, and his “trustee” in three countries, Tom Barrack, are doing such “wonderful work” in our region, the pro-government media continues to explain that global powers are carrying out a “new generation guardianship regime” project in Turkey through Ekrem İmamoğlu and the CHP!..

And Foreign Minister Fidan can say for the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara in July, “All our preparations so far are being made to host President Trump.”!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

June 2, 2026