The four neighbours have cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar, closed their borders and issued demands and ultimatums. Qatar has declared that it won't give in to any ultimatum, and that all demands are rejected as they're a trial to undermine the sovereignity of the nation.
Qatar, (with its capital city Doha) is a land rich in oil and gas, so naturally it is one that attracts great interest, and not only from its neighbours. It has also been chosen to host the 2022 World Cup tournament (Mondial 2022). Now, it seems this Mondial is under great uncertainty .
A stroll in the city (Web image)
All sorts of factors (Kuweit, USA, Russia, Germany, the UN) are trying to moderate in the above diplomatic crisis so as to avoid escalation and ensuing instability in the region.
It doesn't seem likely at this point that there's going to be a joint military action of the four neighbouring countries against Qatar. However, the situation is very unpleasant, not to say explosive.
If indeed terrorism is financed by Qatar, this should immediately be stopped; supporting terrorism in any way is an act of war against humanity. All the other issues (among them the neighbours' demand to close Al Jazeera TV net ,and a turkish military base) - are internal affairs to be dealt with by Qatar's government.
In any case, Qatar largely depends on import (including food import). Closed borders, boycotts and this sort of thing, will have a disastrous impact on the country even though Iran and Turkey are behind with "moral" support and food supply, helping her at the moment defy its neighbours.
Never a dull moment in the Middle East.
* web map
Yes, it does seem always some sort of conflict but then again, right now the rest of the world is kind of like that too, perhaps not quite as volatile (except North Korea and the USA) but still under conflict.
ReplyDeleteThe Middle East is a bad, bad place. WW3 might start here.They're all here: Russia, USA,Iran, Turkey. They all want to dominate the region.
DeleteNorth Korea doesn't want to dominate any country except her own. But she's threatened by USA which wants her to be a democracy, give human rights, not develop nuclear power, and reunite with South Korea. Well if USA will insist on that, North Korea will probably send nuclear missiles.
Wow, I'd not heard of this. Sorry, sometimes I have my head in the sand. Are they able to farm & produce enough food themselves in order to hold out against the four neighbors?
ReplyDeleteNo,Qatar is mainly desert land. It has gas, oil, and money - but it imports the rest, especially food. Now it gets food supplies from Iran and Turkey.
DeleteDuta, I had no idea about this situation, news available here do not usually focus on that region
ReplyDeleteThe crisis began last month, in June. I live in the region, so, naturally our news cover this sort of thing, but I usually also read Yahoo news or CNN to get a broader view of things.
DeleteYour final statement says it all, Duta. I wish it ertr otherwise....that there were always dull moments in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteI envy those places where people are bothered only by the weather.
DeleteInteresting especially because Saoedi Arabia itself is already for a long time a suspect of being a sponsor of terrorism
ReplyDeleteThat has crossed my mind too. Saudi Arabia is not an innocent lamb where terrorism is concerned.I think all these arab countries with oil and money support terrorism one way or the other.
DeleteYes, never a dull moment in the Middle
ReplyDeleteEast. I am not a fan of CNN news.
I've got an email box in Yahoo, so when I check my mail, I also read the news and articles. As for CNN, sometimes even "fake news" can give you some idea on the whole picture.
DeleteYes, I was shocked at the allegations when I first saw them on the national news, here. I'm no expert on the subject of terrorism, but as human being and a resident of our world, I can 'safely' say that the state of our planet is in all kinds of chaos.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a very soulful summer weekend,
Poppy
That's true; our planet is in chaos. The ultimate danger would be use of nuclear weapons. May God protect us!
DeleteYou nailed it: "Never a dull moment in the Middle East."
ReplyDeleteI have to turn the news off some days....
Turn off? I seldom turn they on..But I'm on the PC - and here they are, albeit in a quiet manner, not the noise of TV and radio.
DeleteThe largest United State military base is also in Qatar. Saudi Arabia cut ties with Qatar and wants its allies to pretty much follow suit. The US is one of Saudi Arabia's biggest allies. What a mess! Saudi Arabia wants to shut its border with Qatar, cutting the country off from the rest of Arabian Peninsula. All I know is this, ISIS has to be stopped! So it sounds like cutting ties with Qatar is a good thing. By being connected to Qatar, we're aiding them in terrorism. When will it all end? I listen to it on the news, but really don't understand it all. Interesting thought-provoking post Duta!
ReplyDeleteA mess, indeed. The bottom line is that ISSIS has to be stopped - but how? I believe Qatar supports them, but probably so does Saudi Arabia.
DeleteThank you for visiting my blog, so of course I needed to return to yours. I am hooked. I can't wait to read your fascinating posts and learn more about the places you write about.
ReplyDeleteHi Sam,
DeleteWelcome! Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words.
The world has become a scary place. So much is happening. I'm don't think it's just Qatar that supports ISIS. And if Qatar is pushed hard they may turn around and fight hard.Scary stuff.
ReplyDeleteISIS has recently lost the iraqi city of Mossul,but I'm skeptical as to their total dissapearance from the arena. They might change places and focuses of activity but they're constantly in the background.
DeleteNever any shortage of issues in the Middle East! Between balancing politics, thwarting terrorism, and the constant mad grab for resources, it is hard to find solutions to all of these problems.
ReplyDeleteHow very true! The triangle you've mentioned: politics, terrorism, resources - is very hard, almost impossible to solve.
DeleteThe answer to all of this is simple....it's called Peace on Earth. Imagine if everyone would just be nice.
ReplyDeleteWe wish it were that simple.'Peace' is a complex and slow, never ending process.
DeleteSuch sad events!
ReplyDeleteSad and dangerous as it could escalate and involve the whole region and more.
Delete