The US and Qatar have signed an unprecedented agreement which is similar to Article 5 in NATO, in which an attack on Qatar is considered a threat to the security of the US.

The robust security guarantees are spelled out in the deal posted to the White House website on Wednesday: "The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States."

"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 Qatar," it adds.

This is a clear vow to "guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the state of Qatar against external attack." Is this what the White House is calling America First policy? 

Of course, the United States already has a significant military base, the sprawling Al Udeid Air Base, located west of Doha, which is defended by Patriot missile batteries.

But now presumably this American air defense shield will extend over the whole of the tiny oil and gas monarchy's territory.

Already the past year has seen active US intercepts of missiles sent by Iran, and yet last month's Israeli attack on a Hamas office in Doha was allowed by US defenses.

But this new major security deal appears part of Trump's 'regret' to Qatar in the wake of that controversial attack, which killed five top Hamas negotiators and a Qatari security guard.

Trump on Monday while hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made him apologize to Qatar's leaders in a somewhat humiliating phone call and photo op, later published by the White House...

As for US-Qatar relations, they were deepened especially during the decade-plus long war of regime change against Assad. Qatar even hosted FSA and jihadi training camps, reportedly ran by the CIA and likely American special forces.

Ultimately, the US-Gulf-Israel axis is still strong, despite the Gaza war, which is also what this new defense pact demonstrates. Some analysts are saying it further prepares the US-Gulf axis for the next round of fighting with Iran. For example Mideast observer Kevork Almassian writes:

Make no mistake: this is about the future U.S./Israeli war with Iran. Consider the implications: if Iran retaliates against Qatar for hosting U.S. and Israeli operations, Washington can immediately declare that an attack on Qatar is an attack on U.S. interests. From there, it’s a short step to claim: Attack on Qatar = attack on the U.S. = attack on a NATO member = Article 5 triggered.

This is indeed recipe for more US quagmires and foreign interventionism in the Middle East, and Congress remains silent, as has become typcial.