Gulf stalemate

oha is clearly in no mood for a compromise with GCC

Even hours before more sanctions were to go into effect against Qatar, there appeared to be no softening of stance by the rulers of the oil and gas rich emirate. Doha is clearly in no mood for a compromise with Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Manama and Cairo. As far as Qatar is concerned, the list of demands tabled by its rivals is unjustified and designed for little else but rejection, explaining somewhat inadequately why the standoff can’t be resolved at the present juncture. Doha thinks there are still valid enough reasons to keep its Turkish base and Al Jazeera television station open and maintain its ties with Tehran but Riyadh and its allies are just not convinced.

While Qatar and its foes are unable to explain their own intransigence it is clear that neither side wants a quick solution because that would be most un-Arab-like considering how conflicts in history and even the more recent ones involving them have gone down. Long drawn and intractable for the most part.

For now the two parties would rather be content only with prolonging the conflict as long as they can until of course one side flinches and gives in.  And that side was supposed to be Qatar. But Doha would have none of it.

As a key mediator in the crisis, the United States has an unenviable task before it: striking a delicate balance and extricating both sides from the brink. This is not to say that war was ever on the minds of the protagonists -- to begin with. The UAE has hinted quite broadly that Qatar could be turned out of the Gulf Cooperation Council and its allies have warned of unspecified measures. What is known, however, is that military intervention is not on the cards. Well-wishers of both sides will be relieved that things don’t get out of hand now or ever.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2017.

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