After first emerging in the U.S. academic debate in the nineties, the concept of offshore balancing gained traction during the Obama presidency. It specifically posits the idea of maintaining U.S. global primacy while distancing it from regional conflicts and power plays. Based on these premises, we evaluate the relevance of this theory by looking at its application in the Persian Gulf, a region whose security system relies heavily on U.S. involvement. This empirical test reveals the approach’s many limitations with respect to the practicalities of a potential U.S. disengagement from the region. In this sense, although offshore balancing remains an attractive approach in Washington, it is a superficial concept that fails to meaningfully take regional dynamics into account.