Qatar

regional relations: a diplomatic crisis

In the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring protests and subsequent political changes and turmoil in targeted countries, tensions have been mounting between Qatar and its neighbors, who accuse the former of supporting Muslim Brotherhood (citing Qatar's relations with "non-state actors"), intervening in the domestic affairs of other states, threatening their security and stability. On March 5, 2014, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar in an unprecedented move for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In their statement, the three countries (not including member countries Kuwait and Oman) also alleged that Qatar had failed to follow through in the exchange of information on criminals, thereby violating a security agreement put into place by the GCC in 2013. The three states also cited Qatar's Al Jazeera network and its support for the Muslim Brotherhood as a destabilizing force to their internal security. Al Jazeera's role in Egypt was heavily criticized by Egyptian authorities for sympathizing with Morsi and the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement while undermining the post-Morsi interim government. After Morsi's ouster, most of the top leadership and members of the Muslim Brotherhood fled to Qatar and Turkey. Egypt designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in December 2013 and recalled its ambassador from Qatar in February 2014, formalizing the withdrawal days after the statement by the three GCC countries. (http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/96026.aspx) (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/07/world/middleeast/egypt-withdraws-ambassador-from-qatar.html?smid=tw-share) Shortly after the GCC statement, on March 7, 2014, Saudi Arabia also designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, along with Hezbollah, ISIS, and al Nusra. (http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/03/07/Saudi-Arabia-declares-Muslim-Brotherhood-terrorist-group.html) 

Also at issue were Qatar’s relations with GCC adversaries such as Iran, its flirtations with Hezbollah and its support for Houthi rebels in Yemen, its close relations with Muslim Brotherhood supporter Turkey, not to mention its support of Al Qaida affiliates in Syria and elsewhere. Qatar maintains strong economic relations with Iran.

The US has thus far remained relatively reticent on the matter, not the least because Qatar is a key ally in the Middle East region of strategic significance. Qatar hosts the Al Udeid Air Base as well as the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, two key military sites vital to the coordination of all attacks and surveillance missions for Iraq and Afghanistan. (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/persian-gulf/2014-03-06/break-gulf?cid=soc-twitter-in-snapshots-break_up_in_the_gulf-031214)

relevant history

References

Aly, Bassem. "Egypt, Qatar, and mounting disquiet in the Gulf," Ahram Online, March 6, 2014. (http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/96026.aspx) ) 

Kirkpatrick, David. "Egypt pulls ambassador from Qatar," The New York Times, March 7, 2014. (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/07/world/middleeast/egypt-withdraws-ambassador-from-qatar.html?smid=tw-share)

Ajbaili, Mustapha. "Saudi: Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group," Al Arabiya, March 7, 2014. (http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/03/07/Saudi-Arabia-declares-Muslim-Brotherhood-terrorist-group.html) 

Saab, Bilal Y. "Break up in the Gulf: What the GCC dispute means for Qatar," Foreign Affairs, March 6, 2014. (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/persian-gulf/2014-03-06/break-gulf?cid=soc-twitter-in-snapshots-break_up_in_the_gulf-031214)