US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order vowing to use all measures, including US military action, to defend the energy-rich nation of Qatar – though it remains unclear just what weight the pledge will carry.
The text of the order, made available on Wednesday, October 1, on the White House's website but dated Monday, appears to be another measure by Trump to assure the Qataris following Israel's surprise attack on the country, targeting Hamas leaders as they weighed accepting a ceasefire with Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip.
The order cites the two countries' "close cooperation" and "shared interest," vowing to "guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the state of Qatar against external attack."
"The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty or critical infrastructure of the state of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States," the order says.
"In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures – including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military – to defend the interests of the United States and of the state of Qatar and to 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 by Netanyahu to Qatar during the visit in which Netanyahu "expressed his deep regret" over the strike that killed six people, including a member of the Qatari security forces, the White House said.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry described the US pledge as "an important step in strengthening the two countries' close defense partnership." The Qatari-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network declared: "New Trump executive order guarantees Qatar security after Israeli attack."
The true scope of the pledge by the US remains in question. Typically, legally binding agreements, or treaties, need to receive the approval of the US Senate. However, presidents have entered international agreements without the Senate's approval, like President Barack Obama did with Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
And ultimately, any decision to take military action rests with the president. That uncertainty has clouded previous US defense agreements in Trump's second term, like NATO's Article 5 guarantees.
The order drew criticism after becoming public. Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur known for her incendiary social media presence who has been a fixture of Trump's second term, wrote on the social platform X: "I don't want to die for Qatar. Do you?"
The Wall Street Journal's editorial board also questioned the deal.
"This is a decision that can be and should have been debated," they wrote. "Instead it comes out of the blue – an executive order following no public debate."
Qatar, a peninsular nation that sticks out into the Persian Gulf, became fantastically wealthy through its natural gas reserves. It has been a key partner of the US military, allowing its Central Command to have its forward operating base at its vast Al Udeid Air Base.
US President Joe Biden named Qatar as a major non-NATO ally in 2022, in part due to its help during America's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. And Qatar has maintained close ties to Trump, whether through a real estate project with his eponymous Trump Organization to offering the president a Boeing 747 to use as Air Force One.
In the aftermath of the Israeli attack, Saudi Arabia entered a mutual defense agreement with Pakistan, bringing the kingdom under Islamabad's nuclear umbrella. It's unclear whether other Gulf Arab countries, both worried about Israel and Iran as it faces reimposed United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program, may seek similar arrangements as well with the region's longtime security guarantor.