New Delhi, April 10 -- The fragile ceasefire that currently holds in the Gulf may have paused open conflict, but it has triggered a far deeper and more enduring crisis: the collapse of confidence in the region's security architecture. For decades, the Gulf states operated under a clear assumption. Their sovereignty and stability rested on external guarantees, primarily from the United States, reinforced by strategic alignment with Western powers and, increasingly, Israel. That assumption stands shattered.

The recent conflict has exposed gaps that were once dismissed or underestimated. What has emerged is not merely a temporary vulnerability but a structural shift in how security is perceived, delivered, and sustained across the region. T...