Qatar between false protection and a unified Arab army
Written by: Nasser Al-Salmouni 🇪🇬
The Egyptian voice, led by President Sisi, has become hoarse in its calls for the construction of a unified Arab army that would protect the sovereignty and independence of Arab states. This call came after countries such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen were subjected to violations or direct occupation by Israel and the United States. But instead of Arabs uniting to protect their homelands, some countries lavished billions on Washington in the hope of ensuring their protection, whether from their own angry people or from regional adversaries like Iran. Along with the money came exorbitant arms deals, whose sole purpose was to drain Arab wealth under the guise of alleged defense.
However, the recent Israeli attack on Doha exposed the falsity of these long-touted security equations. After Qatar spent approximately $19 billion on advanced defense systems, along with training and maintenance costs, all of these systems failed at the touch of a button, demonstrating that Western-imported weapons are not a guarantee of protection, but rather a tool of blackmail to keep countries in a cycle of dependency.
What's even more shocking is that US President Donald Trump, who received trillions of dollars and luxury aircraft deals from Qatar as "gifts," did not hesitate to give Israel the green light to carry out its raid on the Qatari capital. Although the White House later expressed its "displeasure" with the operation, the facts proved that Washington had prior knowledge of it, and that Israeli aircraft were even refueled by US aircraft stationed inside Qatar itself.
US Bases: Protection or Disguised Occupation? Here the fundamental question arises: What is the purpose of US bases in our region? The Arab world is home to more than 35 US military bases spread across the Gulf, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. Qatar alone hosts two of the largest bases in the Middle East:
Al Udeid Air Base: It houses approximately 10,000 troops, in addition to the headquarters of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which manages operations in the region.
As-Sailiya Base: The main storage center for heavy American equipment and weapons.
There are also other prominent bases in Bahrain (Fifth Fleet), Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria. Thus, our territories have become a network of American bases that control the military and security decisions of the host countries.
There is no better evidence of this than Trump's statement in 2019, when he explicitly said: "We have military bases in the Middle East thanks to the wealthy countries there, and these bases are American land, ours, not theirs."
With this direct recognition, all illusions of sovereignty were lost, and the existence of bases became synonymous with disguised occupation.
Lessons from the Doha bombing
The attack on Qatar clearly reveals that:
1. Qatari sovereignty is incomplete, as neither American funds nor bases provide protection.
2. US-Israeli coordination is ongoing, and the strike was carried out with the green light from Washington.
3. Alliances with the West are a great illusion. The billions paid are nothing more than “tribute” that ensures the continuation of regimes under the American umbrella without real protection.
Egypt... the exception that lights the way. Conversely, Egypt remains the clearest example of the rejection of subordination, as there are no foreign bases on its soil, granting it complete sovereignty over its own national decisions. Perhaps Israel's refusal to target the Palestinian negotiating delegation while it was in Cairo is the best evidence that Egypt is a "red line" that must not be crossed, because it relies on the efforts of its own people, not on foreign protection.
Let's move towards a unified Arab army. What happened in Qatar is a wake-up call for all Arabs. Foreign bases do not bring security; rather, they turn your lands into a theater for others' conflicts. Massive arms deals do not protect sovereignty; rather, they drain resources. A unified Arab position has become an existential necessity. Arabs can only be saved by a unified Arab army that protects their homelands from greed and safeguards their dignity from extortion. Defending sovereignty has become an individual obligation today, and unity is no longer a political choice but a condition for survival.
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