Regional power struggle intensifies
Amid the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, the unfolding civil wars in Syria and Yemen and the rampant violence by the IS, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Yemen announced on Monday the suspension of relations with Qatar. Qatari diplomats were ordered to leave these nations within 48 hours and its citizens were banned from travelling to the declaratory countries.
They accused Qatar of destabilizing the region by supporting terrorist activities, which Qatar vehemently denies. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said later that day, “the measures are unjustified and are based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact.” The statement pointed out, “Qatar is an active member of the Gulf Cooperation Council and is fully committed to its charter. Qatar respects the sovereignty of other nations and does not interfere in their internal affairs, and it has fulfilled its role in fighting terrorism and extremism.”
In the Middle East, the root cause for almost every conundrum is related to religious rifts. Sunni- led Saudi Arabia and Shiite- dominated Iran are perennial rivals and Qatar, which belongs to the former’s camp, has “cast amorous glances” at Iran and angered Riyadh.
What drew the further ire of Saudi Arabia and its allies was that Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim phoned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to congratulate him on his second- term victory and expressed hope in promoting cooperation.
The wealthy nation has a habit of bucking the trends when approaching Middle Eastern affairs, often ignoring Saudi Arabia’s attitude.
For instance, it has been backing Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Its current position is that Saudi Arabia and Iran should reconcile and that Iran must be included in the Gulf’s regional security framework, an untenable position for Saudi Arabia.
Trump’s recent visit at a gathering of Gulf Cooperation Council members and other Islamic states during his first overseas journey was intended to signal tougher opposition toward Iran. However, Qatar did not take the consensus seriously, which might also have irritated Washington who appears to have given the green light to Saudi Arabia and others to make this move.
As a tiny yet rich country Qatar’s excessive international ambition may end up finding itself isolated and its people living in plight as its only land border is cut off with Saudi Arabia. Diplomatic rifts are common in the Middle East and because the current crisis is still unfurling, it’s hard to predict the ultimate effect this will have on the region.