As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Qatar, questions are swirling about Washington’s fading credibility as the Gulf’s main security guarantor.
In this episode of WorldView with Swasti, Dr. Swasti Rao speaks to Patrick Nicholas Theros, former U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, to decode the meaning and message behind Rubio’s visit. Their conversation spans the long history of America’s protector role in the Gulf, from the Roosevelt–King Saud pact of 1945 to the present moment, where U.S. silence after Israeli strikes on Qatar has unsettled its allies.
Theros explains why Rubio’s attempt to reassert U.S. leadership could instead deepen doubts, especially as Washington seems to prioritise its alignment with Israel over Gulf security. They explore how figures like Trump and Netanyahu have reshaped the regional order through personality-driven politics. The discussion also traces the shifting calculations of Russia, Turkey, Iran and even Pakistan, and what this moment reveals about the Gulf’s growing doubts about U.S. protection and the far-reaching consequences this could have for energy security and India’s interests in the region.