For Pax Silica, Not All Gulf Partners Are Created Equal

Excerpt

The race for AI supremacy will be won or lost by the company we keep, and right now the United States is in high-stakes competition for control of the supply chains that make AI possible. While the US has led the world in the development of frontier AI models, it can’t win the race against China alone. This is why Washington is assembling a powerful coalition of allies to secure all parts of the AI supply chain.

In that spirit, the State Department announced the expansion of its AI economic security initiative, “Pax Silica,” to include Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). When asked about the criteria for membership in Pax Silica at an event on January 29, Undersecretary for Economic Affairs and global AI booster Jacob Helberg cautioned against having purity tests. Purity may not be necessary, but a come-one, come-all approach is misguided. 

Undoubtedly, the State Department has cogent reasons to take Pax Silica to the Gulf. The region is home to some of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds and is already investing heavily in energy and compute power needed for AI proliferation. These are assets that China is also eager to court. But Washington shouldn’t talk about a one-size-fits-all approach to Gulf partnerships. The UAE has shown in recent years to be more reliable than Qatar, which has continued to promote groups such as Hamas, the Taliban, and the Muslim Brotherhood. For Pax Silica to reach its fullest potential, the Trump administration should adopt a more discriminating approach to who gets a seat at the table.

Qatar’s Track Record Raises Questions for AI Security Cooperation

Qatar has a storied history of funneling cash to terrorist groups and providing safe harbor to their leaders and funders. President Donald Trump himself said in 2017 that Qatar “has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level” and that “the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding.” After intense condemnation, Qatar made some reforms. But Doha continues to play the United States against anti-American forces. 

Leah Siskind is a research fellow at the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where she focuses on artificial intelligence. She previously served as the deputy director of the AI Corps at the US Department of Homeland Security.  Follow Leah on X @Leahsiskind. Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at FDD focused on the Middle East and the Gulf. Prior to joining FDD, she worked at a private foundation in New York and on Middle Eastern affairs as an intern at the Hudson Institute. Natalie holds a BA in political science from Duke University and is an MA candidate in security studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow.  Follow FDD on X @FDD.