President Trump has signed an executive order that pledges to defend Qatar’s energy-rich nation using all measures, including US military action, but it remains unclear what weight the pledge will carry.
The text of the order, available on the White House website on Wednesday but available Monday, appears to be another measure by Trump following a surprise attack by Israel that targeted Hamas leaders and a surprise attack on a country that targeted Katalis accepting a ceasefire with Israel in the war in the Gaza Strip.
The order cited both countries’ “close cooperation” and “shared interest” and vowed to “ensure the security and territorial integrity of Qatar’s province against external attacks.”
“The United States shall view armed attacks on Qatar’s territories, sovereignty or critical infrastructure as a threat to US peace, security and security,” the order states.
“In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all legal and appropriate measures, including diplomatic, economic and, where necessary, military, to defend the interests of the United States and Qatar Province and restore peace and stability.”
The order apparently came during a visit to Washington on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump organized a call in Qatar, Netanyahu, during a visit that “expressed deep regret” over the strike that killed six people, including members of Qatar security forces, the White House said.
Qatari officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s orders. However, Al Jazeera, the Katari-funded satellite news network, reported it prominently under the headline on Wednesday.
The true scope of the pledge remains in question. Typically, a binding contract or treaty must be approved by the US Senate. However, as President Barack Obama did in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with the world power, the president signed an international agreement without the approval of the Senate.
And ultimately, the decision to take military action depends on the president. That uncertainty is clouding previous US defense agreements in Trump’s second term, like NATO’s Article 5 guarantee.
Qatar, a peninsula nation protruding into the Persian Gulf, has become wonderfully wealthy through its natural gas reserves. It is a major US partner and allows the US Central Command to place an operating base forward at the vast Aldede Air Force Base. President Joe Biden nominated Qatar as the leading non-nat allie in 2022. This is partly due to the help of the US’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In the aftermath of Israel’s attacks, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defense agreement with Pakistan, bringing the kingdom under the nuclear umbrella of Islamabad. It is unclear whether other Gulf Arab countries, worried about both Israel and Iran facing UN sanctions on the nuclear program, could seek similar arrangements to long-standing security guarantors in the region.
“The centrality of the Gulf in the Middle East and its importance to the US guarantees a certain US guarantee beyond President Donald J. Trump’s non-repeat and dinner guarantee,” writes Badar Al-Sheif, a history professor at the University of Kuwait who analyzes the Gulf Arab issue.
Gambrell wrote in the Associated Press.
