Overtly Qatar’s terror financing is utmost concern for Saudi Arabia, but reality is different: tiny Gulf nation’s rising global grandeur can no more be acceptable to its big brother. So the feud for regional supremacy will continue and under the tutelage of the Trump administration
The current diplomatic flare-up against Qatar by its neighbours brings home a fresh thaw among the oil rich nations of West Asia. Qatar is accused of offering support to Islamists such as the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, and the ISIS. Moreover, some of the Gulf nations are wary of its proximity to Iran, the regional Shia hegemon. And, many of these countries fume at the sprouting of the Arab nation’s first English language TV channel, namely Al Jazeera, at the heart of Qatar. More importantly, the channel has fast turned out to be an uncensored broadcaster, providing an ever greater space for all the dissidents, except the ones from Qatar, including a huge coverage of the historic Arab Spring of 2011. Is that sufficient for all its closest neighbours to suddenly cut ties with the countryIJ Is it because of sheer American pressure on its allies following the visit of US President Donald TrumpIJ Is it because Saudi Arabia, which indeed heads the entire coalition of opposition against Qatar, is just threatened by the expanding network of the latterIJ let’s see what has unfolded so far, and what could happen to Qatar and the rest of the Gulf States if the imbroglio continues.
It is interesting to note that all hell broke loose on Qatar immediately after the much talked about visit of President Trump to West Asia. Obviously, there is no doubt that Trump wanted America’s allies to rein in the oil rich nation for sponsoring most of the jehadists operating across the region. But despite knowing the fact that nearly 10,000 American soldiers are there at al-Udeid in Qatar, why did Trump take such a decision to corner an old ally by siding with the other friendly nationsIJ Is there any concrete evidence that Qatar is directly financing these global monstersIJ Plainly speaking, this can no way stop the massive intensification of the globalisation of terrorism not only in West Asia, but also around the world. Many say that new American administration may have plans to shift the Qatar airbase to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In fact, Trump has already expressed his satisfaction through his ever-ready tweeter network about the actions initiated against Qatar. Under Trump and unpredictable business-like establishment in Washington, it is for sure that West Asia will not be able to reduce its conflagrations. It is sad. The conceited property tycoon should have been carefully guided by his policy makers. It seems he does not listen to any advice. He could have easily staved off the entire drama that has added fuel to the fire in the already boiling zone of the world.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE severed first diplomatic relations and then cut all land, sea and air links with Qatar. The strange behaviour of these nations has gone beyond a point when all of them asked the Qatari citizens to leave their respective countries within 14 days. In the recent past, when Saudi Arabia had gone for an all out war in Yemen to flex its muscles even then King Salman allowed more than a million Yemenis to stay and work in his country. Though diplomats were recalled by these countries before, the latest action and intensity of the campaign against the small sheikhdom looks like wedging a war. However, the main target behind the Qatar fiasco is no other than Iran, which is long at odds with Saudi Arabia and major powers of West Asia. That is why Iran immediately blamed the US for setting the stage for this entire drama while Trump was in Riyadh, his first ever trip to the region after taking over as the US President.
What has made the rift more perilous is that along with the Gulf States, Egypt and the Government of libya have also extended their support for the ban against Qatar. Many of these countries have long resented Qatar’s open support to the Muslim Brotherhood, which all of them term as a dangerous political enemy for their survival. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is more than happy to jump the bandwagon as he has been facing an impending crisis at home for the very emergence of Muslim Brotherhood. Saudi Arabia accuses Qatar of supporting Iranian-backed Islamists in its restive and heavily Shia Muslim-inhabited Eastern region of Qatif, and Bahrain.
For now, Iran has termed the whole crisis as the result of the “Sword Dance” wherein Trump and other US officials took part during his trip to Riyadh. On the same occasion, Trump called on all the Muslim countries to stand united against Islamists and singled out Iran as a key source of funding and support for terrorist groups. Qatar reacted with its as usual somber note in a brief by its Foreign Ministry, “The campaign of incitement is based on lies that had reached the level of complete fabrications”. But then Qatar’s long hobnobbing with Islamists should have been stopped by the royals at home much before this has happened. Particularly, the country should have taken a lesson from the previous eight-month diplomatic thaw in relations with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in 2014, when all of them withdrew their ambassadors from Doha. Then also they complained Qatari support to terrorist organisations. This amply shows how the ruling Al-Thani family has grown arrogant and has not realised the impact of an economic blockade like the current one. On record, Doha has offered sanctuary to the Muslim Brotherhood, supposed to be the most vociferous and politically active Islamist movement of the Arab world. In the past, Qatar has given the most sought after platform for the diplomats to have talks with the prominent Islamists like that of Yousef Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s one of the most popular preachers; Khaled Mehsal, until recently, the leader of the Hamas; and some of the important jehadist leaders from Algeria and Afghanistan. Qatar’s bringing in a host of such elements and giving them a global stage through its state-funded Al Jazeera network have given its neighbours opportunity to strike a chord with Trump, who equally scorns Iran, the behind the scenes mentor for the Shia Islamists across the region.
An open nitpicking of Qatar for bankrolling the global jehadists can in no way help the rest of the States in West Asia. How Saudi jehadists played a critical role in the 9/11 terror attacks on the US is a well-known fact to the international community. But still the same Saudi rulers will point a finger at others without looking at their own past records. And more importantly, the official Wahabi ideology of the kingdom literally serves as the “cardinal principles” for all the Sunnis jehadists across. Definitely, Al Jazeera’s open jibes at the Saudi royal family angers the clerics and kings together now and then. Finally, Qatar’s joint expansion plan of South Pars, the world’s largest gas field, with Iran brings home another irritant to the Saudi King. This all made to release the Saudi official news agency what their statesman feels deeply: “(Qatar) embraces multiple terrorist and sectarian groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS (Islamic State) and al-Qaeda, aimed at disturbing stability in the region, and disseminates the message and schemes of these groups through their media constantly”. Above all, terror financing is utmost concern for Saudi Arabia, but the reality is that tiny Qatar’s rising global grandeur can no more be acceptable to its big brother. So the feud for regional supremacy will continue and with a grand approval of Uncle Sam.
Qatar should come out of its image as the “problem child” of the West Asia. The ruling Al-Thanis must set the stage for resolving the decades-long traditional feuds with the Al Sauds, Al Khalifas and Al Sabahs, though it used to be a norm for them for centuries. But then there were happier times even in the midst of glaring and deadly fights among all these ruling families. If it continues, apart from the rise of oil prices and the eventual loss of huge business across the region (which will have serious global impact), the rift among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will further increase. And it may so happen that as Kuwait and Oman, the other two members of the GCC, are declining to support the Saudi-led move against Qatar, they may gradually inch towards Iran.
Qatar is tiny, but the state matters in the stability of the region. Though guided by the policy prescriptions of the Trump administration and clearly led by the narrow regional interests of the once ally-turned-hostile neighbours, the Qatar issue will hit hard both the local and global relations. Frankly speaking, Trump’s revisionist policy framework is slowly turning out to be murky as it endangers the very fundamentals that undergird the power, position and authority of America. While tendering advice to these hereditary and autocratic rulers, the business baron President should have been better guided by what late President Harry Truman declared in 1945 at the historic meeting in San Francisco that founded the UN: “We all have to recognise, no matter how great our strength, that we must deny ourselves the licence to do always as we please”. Hope, Trump listens to these illuminating narratives and is not always propelled by what he declared in his inaugural address: “From this moment on, it’s going to be America first”. This could make him fast lose the bigger picture of the “Pax Americana” when his country wielded enormous strength, influence and power on the global platform, if at all Qatar kind of missteps come by again.
(The writer is an expert on international affairs)