This episode argues that America's Gulf "allies" are no longer behaving like allies. Meira K walks you through the hidden architecture behind President Trump’s last-minute stand-down, laying out a provocative thesis that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE pressured Washington by restricting airspace access and, in Qatar’s case, limiting the use of a U.S. base...not out of love for Tehran, but out of fear of what regime change would do to their economies and their China-backed hedges. Along the way, you'll learn the “Twin Pillar” strategy, the petrodollar system, why 1979 rewired the region, how containment shaped decades of war and why today’s Saudi pivot toward China (and toward Qatar as mediator) changes the strategic map. The punchline is aimed straight at Israel’s future: don’t chase warm alliances - build cold leverage, and Israel’s emerging infrastructure role may be the most important, and most underreported, move on the board.