US-Protected Gulf Myth Shattered

For decades, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states prided themselves on safety and stability, thanks to strategic alliances with the West, particularly the United States. US military bases in the region were seen as a guarantee of protection, deterring adversaries from attack.

However, since February 28, when the US and Israel launched an offensive against Iran, everything has changed. Gulf states have been dragged into an unwanted war. GCC governments expressed frustration that Washington did not warn them in advance, leaving them unable to prepare defensive measures. American personnel began evacuating, leaving Gulf countries to bear the brunt of Iranian missiles and drones.

The West's silence further exposed the asymmetric nature of the alliance. While Gulf leaders once hosted former President Donald Trump lavishly last year, hoping to build a mutually beneficial relationship, they now find themselves as expendable pawns on the chessboard of war. Nayef bin Nahar, a Qatari scholar, criticized that Trump left Gulf states to "face their fate" against Iranian missiles.

This event laid bare a reality: Gulf states are treated as purely strategic space, not communities with emotions and values. They suffer the greatest damage from the war but receive neither empathy nor protection. On social media, many expressed glee at attacks on oil infrastructure, arguing that Gulf leaders should have used their resources to prevent the genocide in Gaza.

The lesson is that real security cannot be bought through lobbying or proximity to US power. GCC states need to look inward and seek stability based on themselves, rather than relying on external powers.