More Alien vs. Predator diplomacy
Don’t be fooled, they differ in the ways and the means to take over the West, but the urge for self survival is a strong motivating factor, even for Muslim fundamentalists of different stripes.
Gulf anger at Qatar fuelled by its regional ambitions
AFP
Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in Doha on June 23, 2013Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in Doha on June 23, 2013
The unprecedented decision by three Gulf states to pull their envoys from Qatar reflects their frustration with Doha’s activist foreign policy and its support for the widely banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Tensions in the Gulf Cooperation Council reached a new high when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain publicly accused Qatar of meddling in their internal affairs, a charge dismissed by Doha, which cited instead differences in regional politics.
But the dispute is rooted in “Qatar’s position towards groups that are considered terrorist by other Gulf countries,” said Saudi analyst Abdulaziz Sager, namely the Muslim Brotherhood of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.
“Gulf countries cannot accept that Qatar maintains its policies,” said Sager, who heads the Gulf Research Centre think-tank.
Doha was a staunch supporter of Morsi, and stood out among Gulf monarchies in criticising his arrest following his overthrow by the military in July.
As Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait pledged billions of dollars to Cairo’s military-installed government, Qatar slammed Egypt’s deadly crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.
Qatar also supported Islamists in other countries roiled by Arab Spring uprisings, including Tunisia and Libya. In Syria, both Qatar and Saudi are major supporters of the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad.
At home, Gulf countries accuse Doha of backing Islamist opponents, “giving its citizenship to Gulf and Arab personalities” not welcomed by those monarchies, Sager said.
