Tucker Carlson’s sit-down with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani—Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar—set off the usual flurry of reactions. Some saw it for what it was: an illuminating conversation about geopolitics, diplomacy, and the U.S.-Qatar alliance. Others, as is customary, seized the opportunity to distort, misrepresent, and bemoan things they don’t fully understand.

Let’s be clear: if this interview made anything obvious, it’s that many so-called experts still don’t grasp the basic mechanics of diplomacy.

One fact emerged from this discussion with the clarity of a Supreme Court ruling: Qatar’s strategic partnership with the United States isn’t happenstance—it is the product of decades of cooperation.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have resumed defence talks, which started just days after Riyadh had hosted US and Russian officials to discuss the two countries' diplomatic relations and the Ukraine war, showcasing the Kingdom’s role as an international mediator and its valued status as a major US ally.

Accompanied by top-level delegations, the Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth held extensive consultations for enhancing strategic ties. Emphasising the crucial nature of Saudi-US cooperation, Prince Khalid said that living in a “turbulent region” makes it necessary to coordinate bilateral efforts to “ensure stability in the region and the world.”

Considering the various concerned players and a highly complex political and security situation in the Middle East, InStrat Nonresident Fellow Sabena Siddiqui explores for The New Arab where these talks may be heading, towards a deeper strategic alliance, or indeed a purely interest-driven partnership.