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Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and others cutting diplomatic ties to Qatar

This has nothing to do with Iran.
Saudia Arabia and its allies attempting to distance themselves from ISIS funding schemes, which they developed, by throwing Qatar under the bus.
 
Saudi wants a firm grip on the whole region. Qatar has spent the last two decades trying to push them away and be more independent. Qatar and UAE diversifying their economy wasn't just about preparing for a future where oil isn't king, it was also about furthering their independence from Saudi. UAE just isn't ready to tell dad to fuck off. KSA will try to ground Qatar and take his PlayStation away, the whole thing will resolve itself eventually and Qatar will keep drifting away quietly...hopefully.
If this case then Oman should be Saud Arabia greatest enemy.

There are evident actions from Qatar in supporting terrorism, they had once an official Taliban office.
 

EGOMON

Member
The whole thing is quite complex


Basically Qatar was a satellite state to KSA until the beginning 90s when the son (the father of the current emir) became the emir by deposing his father.

Ever since, Qatar has been trying to create a name and gain influence in the Middle East. Being a country with small area and small population and huge wealth means they can waste money on all crazy stuff. The whole slave labour in Qatar narrative i.e. is quite often lobbied by other in order to ruin their reputation (its always Qatar never the other in media).

Since KSA is the big bro in the region, they demand the other GCC countries to do whatever they want them to do. Qatar is like the screaming little bro that didn't want to listen.

I will travel from UAE through Doha on Friday, let us see what happens.
Not really, Oman is the only GCC country that doesn't share the others ideology and always the outlier of the group. A neutral country that have good relation with all sides from Iran to GCC to USA and EU.
 

siddx

Magnificent Eager Mighty Brilliantly Erect Registereduser
If this case then Oman should be Saud Arabia greatest enemy.

There are evident actions from Qatar in supporting terrorism, they had once an official Taliban office.

Oman does a good job of staying under the radar and being stable and quiet and not bothering anyone. Qatar is loud and rich and an active player on the world stage.
 

kami_sama

Member
This is most likely to be a move from SA to destabilize the region, right?
Also, shame on the UAE for going with it. I know it can gain from this, but in the end it has more to lose if SA gets what it wants.
 
they had once an official Taliban office.
that was a US supported move because Qatar was seen as neutral and they needed a place to meet and negotiate peace deals. It was closed shortly after it was opened.

This is most likely to be a move from SA to destabilize the region, right?
Also, shame on the UAE for going with it. I know it can gain from this, but in the end it has more to lose if SA gets what it wants.

1) restabilize. Remember the Arab Spring? Monarchs get nervous.
2) You don't want to piss off Saudi Arabia. It needs to go along with the program.
 

Yazan

Member
Not really, Oman is the only GCC country that doesn't share the other ideology and always the outlier of the group. A neutral country that have good relation with all sides from Iran to GCC to USA and EU.

Yeah my bad. Oman and to a lesser degree Kuwait should not be included in the overall KSA strategy.
 

bsp

Member
Always knew this would boil down to Iran vs Saudi Arabia

Shia vs Sunni.

It's the most important thing their religion dictates. Convert people, but make sure it's the right one, or they still deserve punishment/death.

The KSA cutting ties due to Qatar sponsoring "extremism" is the funniest thing I have heard today. Their end can't come soon enough, and hopefully every Wahhabist/Salafist Imam dies with it.
 
My dad told me that this has to do with some kind of Qatari cartoon drawing of King Salman. It also has to do with Qatar funding ISIS and other jihadist organizations.
 

Kin5290

Member
It's times like these where it'd be nice to have a functioning Department of State so we could know what the fuck is going on.
 

norinrad

Member
Saudi Arabia is involved in a war next door, guess they can afford more wars since Trump visited their country to sell weapons. Business as usual in the middle East.
 

siddx

Magnificent Eager Mighty Brilliantly Erect Registereduser
Yeah my bad. Oman and to a lesser degree Kuwait should not be included in the overall KSA strategy.

I'm not sure if agree with Kuwait, I think it looks sometimes like it's not joining in with KSA but the truth is the government works soooooooooooooooo slowly and is so dysfunctional that they just take way longer to get with the program. But Saudi influence is strong in Kuwait, from the numerous politicians they've influenced to make Kuwait more hardline, to the fact that insulting the Saudi royal family is as serious an offense as insulting the Kuwait royal family. If the nations in this region are a family, Bahrain is the son eager to prove itself loyal because he knows he is doing things dad wouldn't approve of, while Kuwait is the son who doesn't break dad's rules and so doesn't worry making themselves look loyal, because dad knows they are.

But that's just the perspective of an outsider who lives in the region. I'm not from here and maybe I don't know shit from shinola.
 

Alo0oy

Banned
All the "harder stance on Iran" bullshit is just a codeword for refusing to give their citizens their rights as human beings, I don't know why people keep falling for it. This shit only happens when Al-Jazeera reports on something shady the governments did to citizens.
 

Goon

Member
This is most likely to be a move from SA to destabilize the region, right?
Also, shame on the UAE for going with it. I know it can gain from this, but in the end it has more to lose if SA gets what it wants.

Qatar has been destabilising the region as well. No one in the region has no blood in their hands, but lets not pretend that Qatar hasn't been involved in supplying armed groups in Libya after the fall of gaddafi.
 

Kolx

Member
This is most likely to be a move from SA to destabilize the region, right?
Also, shame on the UAE for going with it. I know it can gain from this, but in the end it has more to lose if SA gets what it wants.
If anything this is being pushed harder by UAE than SA tho. UAE always had a harder stance on the muslim brotherhood.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
Why don't they get their sponsored terrorist groups to fight amongst them to decide who wins this round?
 
isn't Qatar a very wealthy country? not a very smart move for Saudi Arabia in Yemen..

Much bigger problem for Qatar.

Qatar import 90% of their food through SA.

Not to mention now that the sea routes have been closed (Red Sea/Suez Canal), Qatari ships carrying gas to Europe will have to sail all over Africa.

Qatar stock is down 8% currently.
 

Liha

Banned
Yea. No one wants another Syria.
If something like that happened in Saudi arabia, the repercussions would insane.

SA will inevitable collapse on day x, Shia Muslims face serious discrimination and are a large minority in the Eastern Province and that's the province where all of SA oil is.

Saudi-Arabia-Fig-4.png
 

Salvadora

Member
Echo the concern re: Qatar Airways flights.

Flying through Doha in a couple of weeks and wonder if it's going to be impacted by this considering the airspace to get there is now closed.
 

spidye

Member
It's the most important thing their religion dictates. Convert people, but make sure it's the right one, or they still deserve punishment/death.

The KSA cutting ties due to Qatar sponsoring "extremism" is the funniest thing I have heard today. Their end can't come soon enough, and hopefully every Wahhabist/Salafist Imam dies with it.

with friends like USA not going to happen anytime soon
 

kami_sama

Member
that was a US supported move because Qatar was seen as neutral and they needed a place to meet and negotiate peace deals. It was closed shortly after it was opened.



1) restabilize. Remember the Arab Spring? Monarchs get nervous.
2) You don't want to piss off Saudi Arabia. It needs to go along with the program.

Fair enough.

Qatar has been destabilising the region as well. No one in the region has no blood in their hands, but lets not pretend that Qatar hasn't been involved in supplying armed groups in Libya after the fall of gaddafi.

Yeah, I know everyone in the region is guilty, but it seems i had an incorrect view of things.
 

Purkake4

Banned
Echo the concern re: Qatar Airways flights.

Flying through Doha in a couple of weeks and wonder if it's going to be impacted by this considering the airspace to get there is now closed.
It will. This is not just going to blow over in a few weeks.

Contact Qatar airways or your travel agent.
 

Machina

Banned
If Russia could get away with annexing Crimea with nothing but sanctions that Trump will inevitably lift while nobody is looking, you can bet your life the Saudi's are looking at Qatar and licking their chops, especially after Trump met and broke bread with them. That is just a hypothetical of course, but if KSA wanted to find a way to provoke Iran indirectly so they can distance themselves from responsibility, knocking down Qatar's door is probably a good start
 

CTLance

Member
Can't this whole goddamn region not spend one single goddamned year without some part of it teetering at the cusp of becoming some grotesque meat grinder. Aaaargh. Dammit. Please insert more helpless rage here -> <-

I sincerely hope this can be resolved by non-violent means before any real damage is done.
 
This is crazy, some dude on Twitter said this is part of a strategy of US+Gulfstates in an offensive against Iran

I'm interested in seeing how Turkey will respond, seems like there is a huge power game going on about who the new leader of the Middle East will be after the terror era.

lol after the terror era? You mean after the puppet dictator remnants of colonialism and imperialism era?
 

choodi

Banned
I know there are bigger concerns for people and the region in general, but fuck FIFA for deciding to stage a fucking World Cup in Qatar.
 
Can't this whole goddamn region not spend one single goddamned year without some part of it teetering at the cusp of becoming some grotesque meat grinder. Aaaargh. Dammit. Please insert more helpless rage here -> <-

I sincerely hope this can be resolved by non-violent means before any real damage is done.

Unfortunately no, because after WW1, European powers, hungry for oil and geo-strategic outposts, carved up and subdivided the Middle East like poker chips and it's never been the same since.
 

Sorral

Member
This is a huge freaking deal for too many business trades and projects. My own department has two projects in there and I was recently in Doha and another city in Qatar for both of them. We cannot go in there directly anymore.

This does tie in with having a scapegoat for the GCC, and Qatar also signing enough business deals with Iran that Qataris do not even need a visa to visit Iran anymore afaik.
 
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