Philip Gater-Smith
What some have
called the Middle East’s most severe diplomatic crisis in years recently shook
the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain, Egypt, and several other Sunni Muslim-majority countries cut off
diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. The three GCC states taking action
against Doha shut off their land, maritime, and air links with the emirate and
told their nationals in Qatar that they had two weeks to depart the targeted
country.
The reasons for
this dramatic step against Qatar are rooted mainly in Doha’s support for Sunni
Islamist movements and prominent figures in the Middle East; the emirate’s
ownership of al-Jazeera and other media platforms which numerous Arab
governments perceive as propaganda networks seeking to stir up unrest; and
Qatar’s cordial relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran, with which the
Arab Gulf country shares the world’s largest natural gas reserve. These pillars
of Qatari foreign policy have long left the Bahrainis, Egyptians, Emiratis, and
Saudis with the belief that Doha’s actions have fueled extremism and terrorism
across the Arab world. The Trump
administration’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and the UAE is the key. The
move against Qatar came two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump’s state
visit to the Kingdom, during which he called for a grand alliance against
Islamist terrorism and its alleged supporters, most prominently Iran. The
Deputy Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander of the UAE Armed Forces
Mohammed bin Zayed visited the White House days before Trump’s trip to Riyadh,
and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman paid a visit to Washington in
March. Feeling emboldened and empowered by the new American leadership, the
Saudis and Emiratis are now acting more assertively against their enemies and
rivals.
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