Trump's pact to defend Qatar could shake up or shore up a fragile region
It's all the more remarkable given how Qatar has transitioned in just a few years from being the focus of an economic and diplomatic boycott by its neighbours to now becoming the Middle East's ambassadorial crossroads - most recently in its role as mediator between Israel and Hamas.
The order amounts to an extraordinary security pact between America and a key Arab ally, almost mirroring aspects of a Nato alliance. It will be the envy of its regional neighbours.
The text says Washington will view any armed attack on the tiny energy-rich nation as a threat to the Unites States itself and will "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".
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