Barrack's 'humiliation of the Lebanese was no slip of the tongue': analyst
His comment was quickly criticized on social media as an example of Western hubris
Tom Barrack, the U.S ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, drew swift criticism on Tuesday after he arrogantly told a group of journalists in Beirut not to become “animalistic” and to keep the Q&A civilized.
Flanked by U.S. super-Zionist Morgan Ortagus, deputy U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Barrack told reporters: “And I want to tell you something, the moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone. So, you want to know what’s happening? Act civilised, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what is happening in the region.”
Barrack’s comment was quickly criticized on social media as an example of Western hubris when dealing with the Middle East. Barrack appeared to sound like Israeli leadership, who call Palestinians in Gaza “human animals” and “sub-humans.”
Kevork Almassian, the host of Syriana Analysis, posted on X: “The arrogance of U.S. officials in Lebanon is beyond humiliating. Tom Barrack went as far as warning Lebanese journalists not to be ‘animalistic’ and urged them to ‘civilize’—claiming this is the problem with the region. This is not diplomacy. It’s colonial condescension.”
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He continued: “He [Barrack] simply voiced what most American officials actually believe: that we are less than animals—and that, if we ever appear vulnerable, they would not hesitate to mass murder us. Remember Madeleine Albright’s infamous interview on CBS 60 Minutes in 1996. When Lesley Stahl confronted her about U.S. sanctions on Iraq that killed half a million children—more than Hiroshima—Albright didn’t deny it. She didn’t even flinch. Her answer: “I think that is a very hard choice, but the price—we think the price is worth it.” That is how they see us. That is how they’ve always seen us.”
