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

Jag

Member
Trump diplomacy at work. Wonder how much of it has to do with his visit and the billions of military gear SA just got.
 
Some supermarkets in Doha have run out of water because people are panicking. It's going to be a fun Ramadan in Qatar.
https://twitter.com/ZabMustefa/status/871699784595369984
Supermarket shelves in Qatar are now empty. Great.
DBjmG_-UwAA2KBF.jpg
DBjmHVBV0AARSf-.jpg
.
 
Has anybody used that Ken Watanabe "Let Them Fight" gif yet?

I don't have it handy myself, nor am I an expert on foreign relations, but I feel like it would be a purrrrfect time to use that gif right now...

Sorry for my weak two cents.
 

SKINNER!

Banned
Has anybody used that Ken Watanabe "Let Them Fight" gif yet?

I don't have it handy myself, nor am I an expert on foreign relations, but I feel like it would be a purrrrfect time to use that gif right now...

Sorry for my weak two cents.

wow, that was beyond weak.
 

ASIS

Member
It is bullshit when it is one little tiny town when over 99% of them do NOT do what you are saying.

Yes, you can live there and still look at everything through rose tinted glasses.

I said there were two reasons. Both can be true you know. But of course you might know better.
 
Well that was expected. In other (first world problem-ish) news, I just subbed to the only and rather expensive sports network in the middle east a month ago and it is Qatari owned. Guessing they'll shut it down and no refunds for me :(
 

TarNaru33

Banned
Has anybody used that Ken Watanabe "Let Them Fight" gif yet?

I don't have it handy myself, nor am I an expert on foreign relations, but I feel like it would be a purrrrfect time to use that gif right now...

Sorry for my weak two cents.

The issue with that gif in this scenario is that if it did come down to it, the Saudis could just starve them out. It would be a one-sided slaughter, so no, do not let them fight.
 

siddx

Magnificent Eager Mighty Brilliantly Erect Registereduser
this isn't a Shia vs Sunni Issue

Qatar is Sunni

this is a one way or the high way GCC issue

The excuse being used is Qatar is too friendly to Iran. This is still a Sunni and Shia issue. It's always a Sunni and Shia issue.

Also apparently there are emails between UAE and a think tank in the US discussing ways to undermine and discredit both Qatar and to a smaller degree Kuwait.

gulf times

Edit: ah I see I was beaten
 

Weckum

Member
Well that was expected. In other (first world problem-ish) news, I just subbed to the only and rather expensive sports network in the middle east a month ago and it is Qatari owned. Guessing they'll shut it down and no refunds for me :(

At least you'll get 10 BEIN Sports HD channels for now ;)
 
Has anybody used that Ken Watanabe "Let Them Fight" gif yet?

I don't have it handy myself, nor am I an expert on foreign relations, but I feel like it would be a purrrrfect time to use that gif right now...

Sorry for my weak two cents.

Weak is an understatement
 

Alo0oy

Banned
Hm, how common are measures like this? I read that cutting ties might not last long, but something like not accepting currency seems closer to a permanent change.

They made threats to Qatar in the past when Al-Jazeera published the documentary "Shouting in the Dark", but it was a half-assed threat. This time it sounds pretty serious.
 
The issue with that gif in this scenario is that if it did come down to it, the Saudis could just starve them out. It would be a one-sided slaughter, so no, do not let them fight.

But the thing is, Trump will just say that Americans elected him to protect Middle American interests, not Middle Eastern interests.

I just think that the Middle East has been delaying the inevitable for a while now. What did we really think would happen with Saudi Arabia (of all people) being the main drivers of politics in the region? These are the guys that have to answer to people who take over mosques because the whole country is not mosque enough, so to speak.
 

GHG

Member
Well that was expected. In other (first world problem-ish) news, I just subbed to the only and rather expensive sports network in the middle east a month ago and it is Qatari owned. Guessing they'll shut it down and no refunds for me :(

I think it's already over :(


This literally just happened. I'm on Etisalat in Dubai by the way.
 
I think it's already over :(



This literally just happened. I'm on Etisalat in Dubai by the way.

I literally subscribed last month ughhh. Still working for me here in Egypt though.

Thinking about it though there is a shit ton of contracts that would need to be sorted if a major sporting network gets banned. Is it worth the headache?
 

Arabesque

Member
But the thing is, Trump will just say that Americans elected him to protect Middle American interests, not Middle Eastern interests.

I don't doubt he would say something like that (hell, I'm surprised he hasn't tweeted that already), but the obvious rebuttal to it is that there is going to be Middle Americans who are working and risking their lives the largest military base in the Middle East in Doha, and that if the situation escalates, they are going to be in danger.

I mean, I know Trump doesn't care about the US standing in the world, and he has done everything in his power to undermine the global projection of American power, but he can't outright just abandon the military personnel there.
 

Madness

Member
This is also a way to break Qatari-owned Al Jazeera news agency as well. Egypt has jailed their journalists, and they reported on the Houthi plight, the Arab Spring in Saudi Arabai and Bahrain that was crushed etc.
 

Purkake4

Banned
I don't see why anyone is talking about war or the Trump KSA visit. This is obviously much more effective (and acceptable by the international community) than a war and this has been brewing for years now.
 
beloved by Saudis?

lol look up who ISIS hates the most as well as who does the second largest sorties against DEASH in the Levant


this isn't 2003

I don't understand where this pre 2000 notion came from. That is outright false, just doing simple research proves it wrong.


Saudi supports Islamic extremism in Germany:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a7473551.html

Saudi helps to bankroll the Taliban:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/world/asia/saudi-arabia-afghanistan.html

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest source of funds for militant groups:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/05/wikileaks-cables-saudi-terrorist-funding

These are all within this decade fyi. Dunno where you're getting this pre 2003 notion from. Saudi Arabia has directly funded extremist ideology in Pakistan for example and has bred a generation of militants in the country.

Ever heard of Saudi's prince Bandar?

Prince Bandar told him: "The time is not far off in the Middle East, Richard, when it will be literally 'God help the Shia'. More than a billion Sunnis have simply had enough of them."

Plus how Saudis helped ISIS in Iraq:

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...ke-over-the-north-of-the-country-9602312.html

This guy is a blood thirsty piece of shit, was in power as recently as 2 years ago.
 

Keasar

Member
Hasn't Saduia Arabia been proven to support terrorist groups as well? Why the ganging up on Qatar specifically? Not defending Qatar, just asking.
 

SKINNER!

Banned
Hasn't Saduia Arabia been proven to support terrorist groups as well? Why the ganging up on Qatar specifically? Not defending Qatar, just asking.

'cus Al-Jazeera I bet.

Plus, Qatar has been pushing its weight around these past years trying to be significant for quite some time (Allowing Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas to host meetings there, getting involved with Libya post arab spring, World Cup in 2022 etc.) Wouldn't surprise me if the Saudis and Emiratis were all not too happy about Qatar for trying to play in the big leagues. Best for Qatar to stay insignificant like Bahrain, Oman and Yemen (lol).
 

Keasar

Member
'cus Al-Jazeera I bet.

Plus, Qatar has been pushing its weight around these past years trying to be significant for quite some time (Allowing Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas to host meetings there, getting involved with Libya post arab spring, World Cup in 2022 etc.) Wouldn't surprise me if the Saudis and Emiratis were all not too happy about Qatar for trying to play in the big leagues. Best for Qatar to stay insignificant like Oman and Yemen (lol).

What on earth did they do? Some of the other stuff is the reasons why I am not a fan of the Qatar regime, but what could a news company have done that would have enraged a whole region?

I just find it all a bit rich when reading comments from Saudia Arabia closing diplomatic ties with Qatar for "supporting terrorism".
 

SKINNER!

Banned
What on earth did they do? Some of the other stuff is the reasons why I am not a fan of the Qatar regime, but what could a news company have done that would have enraged a whole region?

Al-Jazeera has always been notorious for reporting on topics that are considered taboo in the arab world since it began airing back in 1996. Compared to state-run news television in UAE/Saudi Arabia, Al-Jazeera news didn't really shy away from debating about topics that mattered to their neighboring countries or their allies (USA especially during the 2003 Iraq Invasion etc.) Topics that would be considered controversial, sensitive or "no-go" to report were generally reported as part of their stance on being an independent news channel that reports on all news without any form of censorship/filter. Now given that the news channel is owned and funded by the Qatari State (its chairman is a member of the Qatari royal family), you can now see why the channel is seen by its neighbour countries as a key factor in Qatar interference.

Yes, I am aware that UAE and Saudi now have their own independent news channels like Al-Arabiya but Al-Jazeera still holds a major significance given that it was the first news channel of its kind in the Arab World.
 

Condom

Member
Hasn't Saduia Arabia been proven to support terrorist groups as well? Why the ganging up on Qatar specifically? Not defending Qatar, just asking.
With Qatar it's direct government support while with SA it's individuals who might or might not be connected to the royal family (such one of the princes).

Qatar openly supports certain factions like the Muslim Brotherhood for example, where Qatar took the arab spring as an opportunity to increase support/power for them.

That's pretty much the battle being fought, between established governments and Islamic politics in the form of Muslim Brotherhood like factions.
 

Keasar

Member
Al-Jazeera has always been notorious for reporting on topics that are considered taboo in the arab world since it began airing back in 1996. Compared to state-run news television in UAE/Saudi Arabia, Al-Jazeera news didn't really shy away from debating about topics that mattered to their neighboring countries or their allies (USA especially during the 2003 Iraq Invasion etc.) Topics that would be considered controversial, sensitive or "no-go" to report were generally reported as part of their stance on being an independent news channel that reports on all news without any form of censorship/filter. Now given that the news channel is owned and funded by the Qatari State (its chairman is a member of the Qatari royal family), you can now see why the channel is seen by its neighbour countries as a key factor in Qatar interference.

Yes, I am aware that UAE and Saudi now have their own independent news channels like Al-Arabiya but Al-Jazeera still holds a major significance given that it was the first news channel of its kind in the Arab World.

I see. So, in a sense Saudi Arabia found a scapegoat to direct hate towards Qatar specifically for a certain crime while being part of said crime themselves?

With Qatar it's direct government support while with SA it's individuals who might or might not be connected to the royal family (such one of the princes).

Qatar openly supports certain factions like the Muslim Brotherhood for example, where Qatar took the arab spring as an opportunity to increase support/power for them.

That's pretty much the battle being fought, between established governments and Islamic politics in the form of Muslim Brotherhood like factions.

Okay that certainly muddles things up pretty hard.
 
I pray for peaceful resolution. I pray for more nations to wake the fuck up and unite under one common goal without hidden agendas. I pray for some serious sanctions that make everyone think twice before they decide to support murderers and ruthless genocidal maniacs.

The world is crumbling from the inside, and we have no one to blame but the powers to be.
 

effzee

Member
Difference is that Qatar has been very open about supporting Islamist groups.

They openly support Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas and used to have a Taliban office. There have been also strong evidence of Qatar financing Jabhat Al-Nusra in Syria.


This is the first I am hearing about Qatar supporting ISIS, Taliban, or Al Qaeda. Why would they?

MB I can see as they were pro-Arab Spring uprisings and obviously this would upset the current Egyptian govt, Bahrain which had its own protests, and SA.

To me, this seems to be simply about Qatar daring to operate outside of the rule of SA and the Gulf States banding to reduce Iran's influence.
 

Jag

Member
I pray for peaceful resolution. I pray for more nations to wake the fuck up and unite under one common goal without hidden agendas. I pray for some serious sanctions that make everyone think twice before they decide to support murderers and ruthless genocidal maniacs.

The world is crumbling from the inside, and we have no one to blame but the powers to be.

Unfortunately this is always how the world has worked.
 

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
With Qatar it's direct government support while with SA it's individuals who might or might not be connected to the royal family (such one of the princes).

Qatar openly supports certain factions like the Muslim Brotherhood for example, where Qatar took the arab spring as an opportunity to increase support/power for them.

That's pretty much the battle being fought, between established governments and Islamic politics in the form of Muslim Brotherhood like factions.

Qatar openly supports groups and organizations that fall under the gray area for a lot of Muslims in the Muslim world(other than in Syria, where they openly support terrorists like SA does).

SA provides clandestine support to organizations that are universally reviled.
 

BigDug13

Member
Saudi-Arabia cutting ties with Qatar because of terror financing. The world we live in deserves Trump.

I'm guessing the difference here is terror against Saudi-Arabia? I mean the U.S. is pissed about Russians meddling in our election which is another "pot-kettle-black" situation considering what the U.S. has done in other elections.
 
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