Has the Gulf’s Security Illusion Been Shattered?

In recent months, residents in Dubai’s Marina and Palm Jumeirah stood on their balconies filming missile interceptions overhead. These striking videos show one of the Gulf’s most valuable assets puncturing in real time: the perception that cities like Doha and Dubai are sanctuaries insulated from the instability of the wider region. Iranian Shahed drones shattered that illusion and showed that no amount of steel, glass or luxury can protect against what is simultaneously the region’s biggest asset, but also greatest liability: its geography.