GULF STATES FACE A SOVEREIGNTY TEST | US UMBRELLA USELESS
Global Affairs Session 31 26 March 2026 GULF STATES FACE A SOVEREIGNTY TEST Why wealth, alliances and outsourced protection cannot substitute for sovereign resilience The Gulf states built prosperity through global finance, energy exports and external security guarantees. The 2026 regional crisis exposed the limits of that model: sovereignty cannot be treated merely as a service purchased from another power. Durable security requires costly domestic resilience, collective defence and the capacity to withstand pressure on infrastructure, trade routes and political autonomy.