The rapid-fire 'messages' directed at Washington from old Persian Gulf allies are brutal, and strongly suggest that the days of US hegemony are done.

If any good has come out of the Ukraine war for the Arab world, it is the diminished status and influence of the US in West Asia. Washington is losing many of its traditional allies in the region, especially in the Persian Gulf, and this trend looks like it will accelerate. Four recent developments illustrate this.

First, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's visit to the UAE on Friday. The warm welcome laid on for him by its leaders was a slap in the face of the US administration, its strongly stated objections to the visit, and its sanctions aimed at de-legitimizing the Syrian government. Of the four developments, the reception accorded to President Assad in Abu Dhabi and Dubai was the clearest sign of this Gulf rebellion against the US and its domination. The visit didn't need to take place now; that it did shows more about the mood in the Gulf centers of power than anything else by Abdel Bari Atwan