US envoy: Israel can claim it’s a democracy but benevolent monarchy is what works in Mideast

DOHA, Qatar — US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack says, “Israel can claim that it’s a democracy but in this region really what has worked the best… is a benevolent monarchy.”

Barrack makes the comments during an onstage panel at the Doha Forum while arguing against Western attempts to import democracy in Syria following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime.

“The first thing that has to happen is that we have to allow them — Syria — to define it themselves without going in with Western expectations and saying, ‘We want a democracy in 12 nights.’ We’ve never had a democracy — I don’t see a democracy anywhere — Israel can claim that it’s a democracy, but in this region, really what has worked the best, whether you like it or don’t like it, is a benevolent monarchy,” Barrack says.

It is unclear whether he is suggesting that he does not believe that Israel is a democracy.

Barrack has become known to offer more philosophical and analytical on-the-record statements, and it is not always clear whether they represent a broader administration approach.

Trump Envoy @USAMBTurkiye on Israel’s Political System:

“Israel can claim that it’s a democracy. But in this region, what has worked best — whether you like it or not — is a benevolent monarchy.”

Full context came as Barrack argued that Western attempts to impose democratic… pic.twitter.com/11cjDdou2r

— עידן קוולר (@IKweller) December 7, 2025