Manama [Bahrain], November 1 (ANI): US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declared that America’s discredited era of “regime change or nation-building” is over, describing past decades of foreign policy as a “counterproductive and endless cycle.”
Speaking at the opening debate of the Manama Dialogue, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Bahrain on Friday, Gabbard said Washington’s long history of interventionist policies had backfired — creating instability, draining trillions of dollars, and fueling the rise of “Islamist terrorist groups like ISIS.”
She credited President Donald Trump’s “pragmatic, deal-driven” approach with steering US foreign policy away from that failed model.
“The old Washington way of thinking is something we hope is in the rearview mirror and something that has held us back for too long. For decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation-building. It was a one-size-fits-all approach of toppling regimes, trying to impose our system of governance on others, intervening in conflicts that were barely understood, and walking away with more enemies than allies. The results: trillions spent, countless lives lost, and in many cases, the creation of greater security threats and the rise of Islamist terrorist groups like ISIS,” she said.
“President Trump was elected by the American people to put an end to this. And from day one, he has shown a very different way to conduct foreign policy — one that is pragmatic, deal-driven, and realistic, focused on protecting American security and prosperity while engaging with the world on terms that actually make sense,” Gabbard added.
However, her remarks come amid criticism of inconsistencies in the Trump administration’s foreign policy approach. While publicly disavowing regime-change operations, Washington has continued actions reminiscent of the same interventionist strategy.
Earlier in June, US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites drew backlash for contradicting Trump’s stated commitment to restraint. Reports also emerged that the US had considered targeting cocaine facilities and trafficking routes in Venezuela — plans the President publicly denied.
Additionally, Washington has continued airstrikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific in recent weeks. The United Nations urged the US to “immediately cease airstrikes on maritime targets” and prevent what it described as the “extrajudicial killing of civilians.”
Last week, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier strike group, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to move from Europe to the Caribbean.
Gabbard also addressed the Middle East, describing the Gaza peace deal as “fragile.”
“He [Trump] negotiated the release of all living hostages from Hamas, while a fragile yet historic ceasefire and peace plan is moving forward,” she said. (ANI)
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