05-25-2017, 10:25 PM
*** 26-May-17 World View -- Trump's Mideast visit triggers renewal of sharp split between Saudi Arabia and Qatar
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Trump's Mideast visit triggers renewal of sharp split between Saudi Arabia and Qatar
****
![[Image: g170525b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g170525b.jpg)
Trump signs $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump's harsh condemnation of Iran during Monday's
visit to Saudi Arabia has apparently triggered a renewal of a
long-standing split between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and within the GCC
(Gulf Cooperation Council) in general. The GCC is an organization of
Arab nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE)) on the Arabian Gulf.
The joint statement issued after Trump's meeting with Saudi King
Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud said the following:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"22. The two leaders also agreed on the need to
> contain Iran’s malign interference in the internal affairs of
> other states, instigation of sectarian strife, support of
> terrorism and armed proxies, and efforts to destabilize the
> countries in the region.
>
> 23. The two leaders also stressed that Iran’s interference poses
> a threat to the security of the region and the world, and that the
> nuclear agreement with Iran needs to be re-examined in some of its
> clauses. The Iranian ballistic missile program poses a threat, not
> only to neighboring countries, but also a direct threat to the
> security of all countries in the region as well as global
> security."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
The next day, at a meeting with Israeli officials in Jerusalem, he
said, "Most importantly, the United States and Israel can declare with
one voice that Iran must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon
- never, ever - and must cease its deadly funding, training and
equipping of terrorists and militias, and it must cease immediately."
Iran's newly reelected president Hassan Rouhani called Trump's
appearance a "theatrical gathering with no practical or political
value," saying that "You can't solve terrorism just by giving your
people's money to a superpower."
Rouhani was alluding to the deals that Trump and Salman signed for
Saudi Arabia to purchase $110 billion in weapons from the US.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi called on Washington
to abandon its "warmongering policy, intervention, Iranophobia and
sales of dangerous and useless weapons to the main sponsors of
terrorism." White House and Reuters and CNN
****
**** Qatar claims that it was cyber-attacked after media reports supporting Iran
****
The above reactions from Iran were to be expected, and were just a
repetition of the sorts of things that Iranian hardliners say about
the United States every day. Nothing new there.
The reaction that created shocked waves was from Qatar, when Qatari
emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was quoted as saying: "There is
no reason behind Arabs' hostility to Iran and our [Qatar's]
relationship with Israel is good." The statement also praised the
Muslim Brotherhood, as well as Iran's puppet terrorist group,
Hezbollah.
The statements were immediately picked up by media in Saudi Arabia and
other GCC countries. An official in the UAE said:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"Qatar favoring the MB and Iran over Saudi Arabia, the
> Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain is a serious political crisis.
>
> We concluded the summits in Riyadh, thanking God for uniting Arab,
> Islamic and international stances and the 3 summits were
> successful. However, we were surprised today to hear that Qatar’s
> stance has changed; we believe that is neither a suitable timing,
> nor suitable excuses or good statements. We ask Allah to guide
> Qatar."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
Four Arab countries -- Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and
Bahrain -- blocked al-Jazeera and other Qatari news sites.
Then there was a further surprise when Qatari Sheik al-Thani announced
that he had never made any such comments, and that Qatar's news web
sites had been hacked.
These claims were not universally believed. According to an editorial
in the Gulf News:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"Today, the GCC is faced with another challenge. And
> unfortunately, it is coming from within the ranks of the
> group. Shortly after the conclusion of last week’s GCC
> Consultative Summit in Riyadh, we were stunned by remarks,
> attributed to the Emir of Qatar, Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani,
> during a military ceremony on Tuesday, in which he appeared to
> defy not only the official GCC policies on most critical issues —
> particularly Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah — but also to hint that the
> American bases in Qatar were the only guarantee to safeguard his
> country from the “threat posed by some neighboring countries”.
>
> While the three summits hosted by Saudi Arabia last Saturday and
> Sunday, in the presence of United States President Donald Trump
> and leaders of 57 Muslim countries, agreed that Iran was fuelling
> conflicts and sectarian tension in the region, Shaikh Tamim has
> been quoted by the Qatari official news agency as saying: “Iran
> represents a regional and Islamic power that cannot be ignored and
> it is unwise to face up against it. It is a big power in the
> stabilization of the region.”"<END QUOTE>[/indent]
At this point it is not clear to me, an outsider, whether or not
al-Thani actually made the referenced remarks. However, the alleged
remarks have triggered a major backlash by other Arab countries, and
many officials of those countries believe that the quoted remarks,
whether real or not, actually represent Qatar's policies.
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain are still
blocking Qatari news sites. Al-Arabiya (24-May) and BBC and
The Peninsula (Qatar) and Gulf News
****
**** Vitriolic Saudi-Qatari fault line reopened this week by Trump's visit
****
In 2004, I reported several times about a major Mideast realignment,
with Israel plus Egypt plus Saudi Arabia on one side, and Qatar plus
Hamas plus Turkey on the other side. In March of that year there was
an extremely bitter split among GCC members. After a stormy GCC
meeting, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain
recalled their ambassadors from Qatar
The trigger was the refusal of Qatar to support a security agreement
that was adopted by the GCC several months earlier, requiring all
members not to back "anyone threatening the security and stability of
the GCC whether as groups or individuals - via direct security work or
through political influence, and not to support hostile media." In
particular, Qatar has refused to implement three specific provisions:
When Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood government were in
power in Egypt, then Egypt and Qatar had close relations, and Qatar
was providing aid to Egypt. However, in July 2013, army general Abdel
al-Fattah al-Sisi engineered a coup that overthrew Morsi, and later
became president himself.
The split grew larger during the summer, when there was a 60-day war
between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Qatar and Iran strongly supported
Hamas, while many people believed that Egypt was on the side of Israel
and the Palestinian Authority.
Late in 2014, the vitriolic differences between the GCC countries were
papered over, thanks to mediation by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah II,
the the older brother of the current King Salman.
What's happened now is that all the vitriolic feelings of 2014 are
resurfacing. It's quite possible that this is a momentary blip, and
that a way will be found in the next few days or weeks to paper those
feelings over again, but the events of the last week prove that those
feelings exist, and they can resurface and turn into conflict at any
time, if a new event triggers them. AP and Reuters
Related Articles
****
**** Some useful information that's good to know
****
If you live in Manchester, England, then you're a "Mancunian."
Manchester was the site of the recent terror attack,
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UAE,
Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Iran, Hassan Rouhani, Bahram Qassem,
Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,
Turkey, Mohammed Morsi, Egypt, Abdel al-Fattah al-Sisi
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Trump's Mideast visit triggers renewal of sharp split between Saudi Arabia and Qatar
- Qatar claims that it was cyber-attacked after media reports supporting Iran
- Vitriolic Saudi-Qatari fault line reopened this week by Trump's visit
- Some useful information that's good to know
****
**** Trump's Mideast visit triggers renewal of sharp split between Saudi Arabia and Qatar
****
Trump signs $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump's harsh condemnation of Iran during Monday's
visit to Saudi Arabia has apparently triggered a renewal of a
long-standing split between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and within the GCC
(Gulf Cooperation Council) in general. The GCC is an organization of
Arab nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE)) on the Arabian Gulf.
The joint statement issued after Trump's meeting with Saudi King
Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud said the following:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"22. The two leaders also agreed on the need to
> contain Iran’s malign interference in the internal affairs of
> other states, instigation of sectarian strife, support of
> terrorism and armed proxies, and efforts to destabilize the
> countries in the region.
>
> 23. The two leaders also stressed that Iran’s interference poses
> a threat to the security of the region and the world, and that the
> nuclear agreement with Iran needs to be re-examined in some of its
> clauses. The Iranian ballistic missile program poses a threat, not
> only to neighboring countries, but also a direct threat to the
> security of all countries in the region as well as global
> security."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
The next day, at a meeting with Israeli officials in Jerusalem, he
said, "Most importantly, the United States and Israel can declare with
one voice that Iran must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon
- never, ever - and must cease its deadly funding, training and
equipping of terrorists and militias, and it must cease immediately."
Iran's newly reelected president Hassan Rouhani called Trump's
appearance a "theatrical gathering with no practical or political
value," saying that "You can't solve terrorism just by giving your
people's money to a superpower."
Rouhani was alluding to the deals that Trump and Salman signed for
Saudi Arabia to purchase $110 billion in weapons from the US.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi called on Washington
to abandon its "warmongering policy, intervention, Iranophobia and
sales of dangerous and useless weapons to the main sponsors of
terrorism." White House and Reuters and CNN
****
**** Qatar claims that it was cyber-attacked after media reports supporting Iran
****
The above reactions from Iran were to be expected, and were just a
repetition of the sorts of things that Iranian hardliners say about
the United States every day. Nothing new there.
The reaction that created shocked waves was from Qatar, when Qatari
emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was quoted as saying: "There is
no reason behind Arabs' hostility to Iran and our [Qatar's]
relationship with Israel is good." The statement also praised the
Muslim Brotherhood, as well as Iran's puppet terrorist group,
Hezbollah.
The statements were immediately picked up by media in Saudi Arabia and
other GCC countries. An official in the UAE said:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"Qatar favoring the MB and Iran over Saudi Arabia, the
> Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain is a serious political crisis.
>
> We concluded the summits in Riyadh, thanking God for uniting Arab,
> Islamic and international stances and the 3 summits were
> successful. However, we were surprised today to hear that Qatar’s
> stance has changed; we believe that is neither a suitable timing,
> nor suitable excuses or good statements. We ask Allah to guide
> Qatar."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
Four Arab countries -- Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and
Bahrain -- blocked al-Jazeera and other Qatari news sites.
Then there was a further surprise when Qatari Sheik al-Thani announced
that he had never made any such comments, and that Qatar's news web
sites had been hacked.
These claims were not universally believed. According to an editorial
in the Gulf News:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"Today, the GCC is faced with another challenge. And
> unfortunately, it is coming from within the ranks of the
> group. Shortly after the conclusion of last week’s GCC
> Consultative Summit in Riyadh, we were stunned by remarks,
> attributed to the Emir of Qatar, Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani,
> during a military ceremony on Tuesday, in which he appeared to
> defy not only the official GCC policies on most critical issues —
> particularly Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah — but also to hint that the
> American bases in Qatar were the only guarantee to safeguard his
> country from the “threat posed by some neighboring countries”.
>
> While the three summits hosted by Saudi Arabia last Saturday and
> Sunday, in the presence of United States President Donald Trump
> and leaders of 57 Muslim countries, agreed that Iran was fuelling
> conflicts and sectarian tension in the region, Shaikh Tamim has
> been quoted by the Qatari official news agency as saying: “Iran
> represents a regional and Islamic power that cannot be ignored and
> it is unwise to face up against it. It is a big power in the
> stabilization of the region.”"<END QUOTE>[/indent]
At this point it is not clear to me, an outsider, whether or not
al-Thani actually made the referenced remarks. However, the alleged
remarks have triggered a major backlash by other Arab countries, and
many officials of those countries believe that the quoted remarks,
whether real or not, actually represent Qatar's policies.
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain are still
blocking Qatari news sites. Al-Arabiya (24-May) and BBC and
The Peninsula (Qatar) and Gulf News
****
**** Vitriolic Saudi-Qatari fault line reopened this week by Trump's visit
****
In 2004, I reported several times about a major Mideast realignment,
with Israel plus Egypt plus Saudi Arabia on one side, and Qatar plus
Hamas plus Turkey on the other side. In March of that year there was
an extremely bitter split among GCC members. After a stormy GCC
meeting, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain
recalled their ambassadors from Qatar
The trigger was the refusal of Qatar to support a security agreement
that was adopted by the GCC several months earlier, requiring all
members not to back "anyone threatening the security and stability of
the GCC whether as groups or individuals - via direct security work or
through political influence, and not to support hostile media." In
particular, Qatar has refused to implement three specific provisions:
- To stop supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which at that time
was the governing party in Egypt, led by Mohammed Morsi, and was
strongly supported by Turkey.
- To place strict broadcast restrictions on the Egyptian cleric,
Shaikh Yousuf al-Qaradawi, a Muslim Brother supporter who speaks
frequently on Qatar's al-Jazeera Arabic.
- To severely restrict the movement of Iranian operatives within
the GCC. There have been unconfirmed reports that Qatar facilitated
the movement of Iranians through the GCC. Apparently this was the
main cause of disagreement at the GCC meeting.
When Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood government were in
power in Egypt, then Egypt and Qatar had close relations, and Qatar
was providing aid to Egypt. However, in July 2013, army general Abdel
al-Fattah al-Sisi engineered a coup that overthrew Morsi, and later
became president himself.
The split grew larger during the summer, when there was a 60-day war
between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Qatar and Iran strongly supported
Hamas, while many people believed that Egypt was on the side of Israel
and the Palestinian Authority.
Late in 2014, the vitriolic differences between the GCC countries were
papered over, thanks to mediation by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah II,
the the older brother of the current King Salman.
What's happened now is that all the vitriolic feelings of 2014 are
resurfacing. It's quite possible that this is a momentary blip, and
that a way will be found in the next few days or weeks to paper those
feelings over again, but the events of the last week prove that those
feelings exist, and they can resurface and turn into conflict at any
time, if a new event triggers them. AP and Reuters
Related Articles
- Sunni Arab anger grows over Hezbollah's support for al-Assad (11-Jun-2013)
- Gulf Arab states have major split over Egypt and Iran (06-Mar-2014)
- Arab League holds annual meeting among bitter splits (26-Mar-2014)
- Mideast realignment continues following the Gaza war (03-Sep-2014)
- Gulf nations paper over their differences for GCC Summit in December (21-Nov-2014)
****
**** Some useful information that's good to know
****
If you live in Manchester, England, then you're a "Mancunian."
Manchester was the site of the recent terror attack,
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UAE,
Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Iran, Hassan Rouhani, Bahram Qassem,
Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,
Turkey, Mohammed Morsi, Egypt, Abdel al-Fattah al-Sisi
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
