It was a meeting thick with symbolism. Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jassem Al-Budaiwi sat across from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Both condemned Israel’s strike, and Lavrov called it a “grave violation of international law.” Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain voiced fury too. For once, the language didn’t sound like empty protocol.
At the same time, American credibility in the Gulf has never looked thinner.
The Qatar Question
One question now overshadows everything: can Qatar really continue to host a U.S. military base after what just happened?
Al Udeid Air Base has long been the crown jewel of America’s Gulf presence. Yet many Arab voices claim it was used to feed intelligence to Israel for its strike inside Qatar. That feels like betrayal, almost treachery.
On social media, the cry is loud: “Expel them. Close it down.”
But it’s not simple. The base underpins Qatar’s defense system and regional logistics. Dismantling it would mean tearing away a decades-old security guarantee. Still, as analyst Abdullah Baabood at Carnegie notes, Gulf states are now “reliant on Washington as a security guarantor … [but] the lack of a vigorous U.S. response has pushed [them] to hedge … deepen relations with emerging powers such as China, explore increased cooperation with Russia, and bolster regional alliances.”
America and Israel: Two Faces, One Enemy?
The language is harsher than before. Commentators call America “part and piece of Israel.” Others brand the U.S. a “dying empire” destroyed by its embrace of a “pariah state.”
It is no longer just fringe rhetoric. Leaders in the region are closer than ever to echoing it in public. As Will Todman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies explains: “They don’t want to rely solely on the U.S. for security; they want ties with a range of global actors. (Israel’s) strikes will accelerate that trend.”
Putin’s Opening
This is where Vladimir Putin steps in. Moscow has spent years building its weight in Gulf capitals, using OPEC+ to shape oil markets and arms deals to cement ties.
Lavrov’s warm words to Al-Budaiwi were not just diplomatic courtesy. They were a signal: Russia is ready to be the Gulf’s new power broker.
The Middle East Institute put it bluntly: “Declining regional confidence in U.S. commitments” predates the current crisis and has been simmering for years. The Israel strike in Qatar may be the moment that accelerates this drift east.
Leadership, Unity, and Old Wounds
For decades, Arab unity has been a dream smothered by rivalry. Riyadh against Doha. Abu Dhabi versus Ankara. Cairo drifting in and out. But crises sometimes forge what seemed impossible before.
After the strike, the UAE’s president toured Gulf nations. His adviser described it as reflecting a “deep conviction in strengthening coordination and cooperation, and in reinforcing the concept of a common destiny.” That phrase — common destiny — hints at something deeper than symbolic visits.
Still, words are cheap. Whether this anger can translate into coordinated action remains to be seen.
The Trump-Netanyahu Parallel
Many in the Arab world now lump Netanyahu and Trump together as leaders who deceive, manipulate, and gamble with lives. “Netanyahu deceived the Israeli people by letting hostages die in the tunnels, while Trump deceives world leaders and topples regimes,” one critic said.
Both are seen as reckless — untrustworthy even to their own. That comparison adds fuel to Arab fury, feeding the argument that neither Israel nor the U.S. can ever be reliable partners.
A Turning Point?
Is this truly the moment the Gulf cuts loose from America? History says caution. Al Udeid is embedded in Qatar’s defense. Oil ties bind Washington and Riyadh. Russian promises come with their own costs.
But the mood has shifted. As Todman warns, Gulf states are already diversifying security ties, not waiting for Washington’s approval. The perception of betrayal can matter as much as any hard military calculus.
If America keeps betting on Israel while ignoring Arab outrage, one day it may wake up to find that the Gulf’s security handshake is no longer across the Potomac — but across a Kremlin table in Moscow.
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