Qatari Diplomatic Crisis

         Qatar

Population:	2.7 million. In recent years Qatar has seen a huge influx of foreign workers, seeing the population grow rapidly from 700,00 in 2003.
Leader:	Qatar is a hereditary monarchy and its head of state is Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Capital:	Doha
Size:	11,586 km2
Flag:
Economy:	The small state is oil rich and has a GDP per capita of $145,894

 

What happened?

 

On Monday the 5th of June 2017 Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with the Gulf State of Qatar over accusations that it supports terrorism, implementing a land, sea and air blockade which intended to isolate the small, oil-rich state.

 

The move comes after years of tension in the region fuelled by Qatar’s ambitions to exert international influence, viewed by neighboring governments as destabilizing interference in the region. Qatar’s relationship with Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran has caused particular concern, as has the critical stance of the Qatari news and media network Aljazeera.  However the main issue in the current crisis is accusations of Qatar supporting groups involved in terrorism such as  the so called Islamic State, groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda, the afghan  Taliban and the Islamist party The Muslim Brotherhood.

 

 

 

What does it mean?

 

The blockade’s main impacts are in Qatari food stores, commercial flights and on the stability of global oil markets.

Qatar is heavily reliant on food imports, particularly over its land borders. The blockade is reportedly already sparking fears of food shortages however the Trade and Economy Minister issued a statement saying that the blockade had been predicted and alternative supply chains had already been established. Qatar continues to receive food supplies from Turkey and Oman.

Qatar is currently conducting large building projects, most notably the stadium for the 2020 football World Cup, which is reliant on building supplies coming over the land border with Saudi Arabia.

Commercial flights have been impacted as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have closed their airspace to Qatari Airlines, a move which the  CEO has condemned as illegal. Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have also closed down Qatari Airlines offices in their countries.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have given two weeks for all Qatari nationals to leave whilst simultaneously preventing their own citizens from travelling to Qatar. Saudi Arabia has since issued a statement saying that Qatari nationals married to Saudi nationals are permitted to stay. 

 

Who is Involved?

 

The blockade was instigated by Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt and was soon joined by Yemen, The Maldives and the government in the east of Libya, as well as the West African states of Senegal and Mauritania.  

The Gulf States of Kuwait and Oman have not joined the blockade. Kuwait has offered to act as a mediator, whilst Oman has reportedly sent shipments of food.

Turkey and Iran, who are both major regional powers, have called for diplomacy to bring an end to the crisis. Iran has a Shia leadership and is the main regional rival to the Sunni lead kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  

 

(Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani meets with President Donald Trump Saudi Arabia)

 

The US president Donald Trump is accused of inflaming the conflict by remarking “"the nation of Qatar has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level", however has subsequently expressed desire for a diplomatic solution and has offered to hold talks.

The Philippines, whilst not directly involved, currently has an estimated 200,000 nationals living in Qatar and has said it will stop sending workers over fears of the crisis worsening.

 

Qatar and Terrorism

 

Qatar is a member of the US lead coalition against so called Islamic State and has denied funding the group.

Qatar has also rejected accusations of funding the Al-Qaeda affiliated jihadist alliance “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham”.  However it has been reported that Qatar paid a $500m ransom to secure the release of 26 Qatari hostages kidnapped by an Iran-backed Iraqi-Shia militia in Syria.  

The Qatari government in Doha maintains that they continue to take strong counter-terrorist measures and do not fund terrorist groups.

 

Qatar and the Taliban

 

Senior Taliban leaders are present in Qatar having briefly opened headquarter offices in Doha in2013 facilitated by the USA and Germany during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, however the Qatari government quickly closed these offices after disputes over the wording of the sign outside the building and the flying of a white flag reminiscent of radical Islamism which put peace talks with the US into jeopardy.

 

Qatar and Hamas

 

The US has criticized Qatar over its long time support of the Palestinian group Hamas. However Doha has defended its position, pointing out that the majority of Arab states do not class Hamas as a terrorist group, but rather a legitimate resistance movement.

 

Qatar and Aljazeera

 

The Qatari based media network Aljazeera has long been the source of tension between Doha and its Arab neighbors, particularly over its extensive coverage of the 2011 Arab Spring, support of the Muslim Brotherhood and willingness to criticize Arab leaders. The network has been accused of acting as the mouthpiece for Qatari foreign policy, yet both its English and Arabic channels continue to attract a wide audience across the region and exert influence worldwide.

 In May of 2017 the channel was blocked in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.  

 

 

Aljazeera in Egypt:

The network faced criticism in Egypt over its support of the Muslim Brotherhood who took power under the leadership of Mohammed Morsi following the deposition of Hosni Mubarak during the 2011 revolution, Aljazeera’s local channel Mubashr Misr was then suspended.  

 

Aljazeera in Saudi Arabia:

 The government in Riyadh has recently accused Aljazeera of supporting Houthi rebels opposing Saudi and UAE backed government forces in Yemen. In 2002 Saudi Arabia withdrew its Ambassador to Qatar following anger over the network’s coverage of peace talks between Israel and Palestine, the ambassador was only reinstated in 2008. In 2007 Qatari government officials reportedly assured Riyadh that the channel would soften its coverage of Saudi Arabia and issues related to the kingdom would not be tackled without referring to higher management.

 

Aljazeera in Syria and Iraq:

The coverage of the so called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has diverged from that of other channels, referring to the group as “the state organization” rather than the derisive Arabic acronym “daesh” which is generally used.