Allies Beware: The End of Immunity in a New Global Order

 

The attack on Qatar was an attack not only on the authority of the U.S. in the Middle East and the Islamic world, but everywhere. Because now no one, absolutely no one, can feel safe.

 

The strikes by Israel on Qatar are, without a doubt, a precedent. Of course, Qatar isn’t the first sovereign state in the Middle East to be struck by Israel with impunity and brazenness, but previously, the targets were countries with unstable political systems or those classified by the West as "rogue states": Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Qatar, however, is not just a respectable state; it is one of the most important military and political allies of the U.S. in the region.

The situation is worsened by the fact that for many years, Qatar has been an intermediary between Tel Aviv and the Hamas leadership. This means Israel did not just violate Qatar's sovereignty, it set the country up - suggesting that the Qatari authorities, albeit unwillingly, lured the Palestinians into a trap.

A Flimsy Defense and an Unraveling Narrative

Washington handed its ally another "setup." White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt stated that the U.S., through special envoy Stephen Whitcoff, had in fact warned Qatar about the impending Israeli strike. "The president immediately instructed special envoy Whitcoff to inform the Qataris of the upcoming attack, which was done. President Trump considers Qatar an important ally and friend of the U.S. and deeply regrets the location of this strike," she said, trying to justify the American president who, it turns out, knew about the planned attack.

It backfired, however. First, if President Trump knew everything in advance but didn't use the opportunity to prevent it, that, to put it mildly, doesn't reflect well on him. Second, if you believe the information from the Axios portal, the news of the Israeli attack on Qatar "stunned the White House and angered some of the Eagle's advisers, as it came at a time when the U.S. was awaiting Hamas's response to the president's new proposal for peace in Gaza."

So President Trump knew everything but didn't inform his own advisers? In that case, he's definitely a direct accomplice. His own justifications confirm this. "This decision was made by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, not by me," he wrote on his Truth Social network. A powerful response from a U.S. president...

President Trump continued to justify himself, claiming that the unilateral bombing of Qatar - "a sovereign state and close ally of the United States, which works very hard and bravely takes risks with us for peace" - doesn't help achieve the goals of either Washington or Israel itself. And he ends on a down note, emphasizing: "The destruction of Hamas is a worthy goal." So, striking Qatar is very bad, but the ends justify the means?

Just consider the situation again: in Qatar, at the initiative of the U.S., people are gathering to discuss the U.S. president's proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip (as directly stated by Al-Jazeera). At that very moment, they are struck in an attack that Washington knew about in advance. In other words, the States simply committed an act of betrayal, luring the Hamas leadership into a mousetrap. And now let the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, prove to the world that the U.S. only informed his government about the Israeli attack after it happened.

A Crack in the Shield of U.S. Authority

The reaction of the Qatari air defense also raises questions. There simply was no reaction. Social media is abuzz with the theory that the U.S. "disabled" the American-made Patriot systems in the country's arsenal. And Qatari air force fighters were suspiciously circling peacefully over the capital during the attack, accompanied by British and American tanker planes.

In any case, the picture is unpleasant not only for Qatar but for the U.S. If President Trump knew everything (and if you believe The Jerusalem Post, Washington not only knew but sanctioned the attack), then he is an accomplice to a war crime. Even more: the Qatari prime minister called the Israeli attack an act of international terrorism.

If he didn't know, it means that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu simply didn't give a damn about the Eagle's peace initiatives, about President Trump himself, and about America. In principle, this has been clear for a long time: Netanyahu has recently been virtually ignoring criticism from the White House, making it clear that Washington holds no sway over him - despite Israel's dependence on the U.S., especially in the military sphere. All this is the result of a multi-year series of war crimes for which Israel has gone unpunished thanks to U.S. cover. Only now, whereas the targets were previously less "respectable," Netanyahu is striking U.S. allies.

"If we didn't get them this time, we'll get them next time," Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yehiel Leiter openly stated, hinting that the policy of unpunished strikes on other countries will continue. Netanyahu himself stated that Hamas leaders no longer have immunity in the world. This phrase sounds ambiguous. Because after the aggression against Qatar, it becomes clear to many that no one in the world has immunity at all. Including U.S. allies. This alliance is no longer a reliable guarantee that you won't be bombed, and that the U.S. won't only cover for the aggressor but also help him organize the aggression.

"I also spoke with the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar and thanked them for their support and friendship with our country. I assured them that this would not happen again on their soil. I have instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to finalize the Defense Cooperation Agreement with Qatar," President Trump wrote on his social network.

Who will believe his statements now?

Of course, Qatar is a kind of enfant terrible of the Arab world - too pro-American, pro-British, and pro-Western. Its relations with its neighbors, especially its main regional competitor, Saudi Arabia, are, to put it mildly, not cloudless. But still, the Qataris are not "Shiite heretics" from Iran, whose bombings can be not only ignored but justified. And what happened with Qatar is a clear example of what can happen if you serve the West too diligently and trust it.

The Saudis are silent for now. But they are obviously thinking hard and drawing the appropriate conclusions. I think we can forget about Saudi Arabia joining the "Abraham Accords" (after what happened, explaining to the public the need to recognize Israel is an impossible task), and this will eventually lead to the Saudis distancing themselves from Washington. Ultimately, the situation could prompt Riyadh to renew its course of rapprochement with Russia and China and join BRICS, which was put on hold at the end of last year after the Eagle's election victory, whom the Saudis considered a close and reliable ally. Well, and then the long-standing conversations about the de-dollarization of Arab oil could become a reality, which would be the strongest blow to American economic hegemony in its entire history.

To its political hegemony, by the way, as well. The attack on Qatar was an attack not only on the authority of the U.S. in the Middle East and the Islamic world but everywhere. Because now no one, absolutely no one, can feel safe. This was clear before, when the U.S., with its own hands (and not only), removed once-loyal heads of state - Hussein, Mubarak, Gaddafi. But back then, they were essentially declared war on; the U.S. had not delivered such treacherous stabs in the back to its friends until last Tuesday.

It's interesting that this is happening against the backdrop of a sharp strengthening of the SCO and BRICS and the actual emergence of the contours of a multipolar world, where there will no longer be a place for American dominance. Just as with India, President Trump is stubbornly and persistently digging the grave of Pax Americana.

It would be funny if it weren't so sad. President Trump can definitely forget about a Nobel Prize. As well as about peace in the Middle East. As well as about his allies in the region recognizing Israel. As well as about the U.S. having reliable allies there. They are gone. Well, except maybe for Israel, which has long been doing whatever it pleases without any regard for Washington.