GCC Diplomatic Crisis

In the holy month of Ramadan we witnessed a surprise diplomatic breakdown between the GCC countries which were once known as brotherly states. A coalition led by SAUDI  ,UAE,BAHRAIN and 9 others countries had cut ties with the state of QATAR and imposed a Land ,Sea and Air blockade . Accusing Qatar of funding terrorist organisations in Syria and Iraq  and criticizing  AL JAZEERA (the media of Qatar). Qatar had  denied the allegations  claiming it to be false .The allegations were based on a report published by the Qatar News agency which had a fake remarks attributed to the Emir of Qatar ,Sheikh Hamad Bin Thani  that expressed support for Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel . The emir was quoted as saying: "Iran represents a regional and Islamic power that cannot be ignored and it is unwise to face up against it. It is a big power in the stabilization of the region." Later it was found out that the website was hacked by freelancer hackers and where paid to do this job.

Qatar was always known for having supported the USA in the fight against terrorism ,it was a part of Saudi led coalition which started a war against Yemen. So what led to this incident?

Qatar has his own regional policy with Iran and it shares one of its largest gas field with Iran . They also supported The Muslim Brotherhood in the past ,at the time of Arab Spring which contradicts Egypt which see Muslim Brotherhood as the number one enemy .Qatar had their own ideologies in supporting the brotherhood which of course contradicted the Saudi because they supported Hosni Mubarak. The fact that Qatar were keen on their independent foreign policy with Iran ignited the flame . Saudi thinks it could force Qatar in changing policy ,but Qatar were true and sure about their relations .

The Us has its airbase in Qatar which is the largest in the Middle East , so the Trump Factor was huge in the crisis . But ironically President Twitted this  “extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!” Moreover, Trump's own line seemed to contradict the far more cautious approach pushed by his lieutenants. From the onset of the crisis, both Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis counseled conciliation, not confrontation. On Wednesday, the Pentagon even completed a $12 billion agreement over the sale of as many as 36 F-15 jets to the Qataris — hardly the sort of deal you make (or signal you send) if you want to isolate a rogue actor.

The cut of food supplies from Saudi ,Uae ,Bahrain and other countries which have cut ties with Qatar hasn’t affected much because .Turkey has agreed to supply its products through air routes . Citizens of Qatar are truly and Spiritually supporting its young leader through the crisis and standing beside him through all his decisions .They have been showing their love by sticking his  stickers on car ,shops and on buildings ,it look like its Qatar National Day everyday.

Israel is trying to exploit the rift between the Saudi led bloc of Arab states and Qatar to advance its strategic interests in the region both against the Palestinian movement Hamas and against Iran, according to Israeli analysts. This week Israel added fuel to the fire by issuing its own threats against Qatar. The Defense minister of Israel vowed to shut down the Al Jazeera branch in Jerusalem , accusing the media of spreading propaganda like the Nazi . Qatar has pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into infrastructure projects in Hamas-ruled Gaza to alleviate a mounting humanitarian crisis there, provoked by a decade-long Israeli blockade and a series of military attacks.

Us Secretary recently called upon the blockading nations to make a list of demands which they want to put forward to the government of Qatar to ease down the tension between the countries. But the List released by 4 Arab countries aren’t reasonable and actionable . This list is an attempt to suppress free media and speech . A list of 13 demands which included shutdown the Al Jazeera Media Network  closing  Turkish military base and scaling down ties with Iran. It also included that Qatar sever all alleged ties with Muslim brotherhood,  Hezbollah ,al-Qaeda, and ISIL. Qatar also has to submit an audit report monthly after the first year of accepting the demands . The list also includes a demand that Qatar pay reparations and compensation for loss of life and other financial losses allegedly caused by Qatar's policies in recent years. List didn’t include what countries will do if Qatar refuses . Mir Handjani, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Al Jazeera that the demands are a "non-starter"."This is a very aggressive position that the Saudi-coalition is taking. I think it's an opening gambit in a long, protracted negotiation," he said.

The blockade has miraculously turned out to be a advantage for Qatar , a small land which has been blocked by its neighbours turns out to have strong economy and stronger Friends .The blockade has nothing to do with terrorism its about limiting Qatar sovereignty and outsourcing their foreign policy .