Hard_Rom
Northumbrian Skald
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2014
- Posts
- 13,623
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...r-explained/?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.776dfa7a82a6
The Arab states of the Persian Gulf are in the grip of an unprecedented regional crisis.
For years now, officials in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have been angry over what they perceive to be Qatar's rogue, activist foreign policy. Unlike neighboring Bahrain, for example, which largely toes the Saudi line, Qatar has diverged from other members in the Gulf Cooperation Council, a bloc of six Arab monarchies, and used its vast coffers to project its own influence far and wide.
Qatar has significant fiscal reserves, retains the political support of the Turkish government and is a key energy partner for countries like Russia and China. The Saudis and Emiratis may realize that isolating Qatar is no easy feat.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...rid_collaborative_1_na&utm_term=.59cac0df3fdc
Saudi-led Arab states submit demands to Qatar, including shuttering of Al Jazeera
Qatar appeared likely to dismiss many of the demands, including the shuttering of the landmark Al Jazeera television as well as its affiliates. Since its founding in 1996, the Qatari-owned channel has attracted praise and controversy for its frank discussions of delicate topics, its wide coverage of the U.S.-led military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and its reporting on the Arab uprisings that started in late 2010.
In recent years especially, the Arabic-language channel has become closely associated with Qatar’s promotion of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Sunni Islamists around the region, including those who have advanced extremist or sectarian views on the channel. The network’s highly regarded English-language channel is seen as far more independent than its Arabic counterpart.
The list of demands heavily reflected its sponsors’ preoccupation with any challenges to their rule. “Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain,” the list said, according to drafts that were circulated.
The Arab states of the Persian Gulf are in the grip of an unprecedented regional crisis.
For years now, officials in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have been angry over what they perceive to be Qatar's rogue, activist foreign policy. Unlike neighboring Bahrain, for example, which largely toes the Saudi line, Qatar has diverged from other members in the Gulf Cooperation Council, a bloc of six Arab monarchies, and used its vast coffers to project its own influence far and wide.
Qatar has significant fiscal reserves, retains the political support of the Turkish government and is a key energy partner for countries like Russia and China. The Saudis and Emiratis may realize that isolating Qatar is no easy feat.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...rid_collaborative_1_na&utm_term=.59cac0df3fdc
Saudi-led Arab states submit demands to Qatar, including shuttering of Al Jazeera
Qatar appeared likely to dismiss many of the demands, including the shuttering of the landmark Al Jazeera television as well as its affiliates. Since its founding in 1996, the Qatari-owned channel has attracted praise and controversy for its frank discussions of delicate topics, its wide coverage of the U.S.-led military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and its reporting on the Arab uprisings that started in late 2010.
In recent years especially, the Arabic-language channel has become closely associated with Qatar’s promotion of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Sunni Islamists around the region, including those who have advanced extremist or sectarian views on the channel. The network’s highly regarded English-language channel is seen as far more independent than its Arabic counterpart.
The list of demands heavily reflected its sponsors’ preoccupation with any challenges to their rule. “Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain,” the list said, according to drafts that were circulated.
