Issue 141 (May - June)

to interference from the US or any other nation bent on serving its own interests. Ultimately, the ball is in Doha’s court. It is out of step with its neighbours on many fronts and if it wants to be treated as a brotherly nation, which it once was, the solution rests in the hands of the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. In the meantime, Saudi and allies should decline to dance to the Trump administration’s tune especially when it shows signs of being hand- in-glove with Qatar. If we allow ourselves to be pushed around, Qatar, that craves reconciliation without giving anything in return, will be gloating while we will look weak. Caving-in to Mr Trump’s ‘orders’ would also set a precedent for any future demands of us he cares to make. Last year, Trump criticized Qatar for funding terror “at a very high level” and reportedly encouraged the Saudi-led quartet’s efforts to persuade Doha to change course in line with all other GCC member countries. Fast forward and he is the one who has changed course. He now prods Saudi, the UAE and Bahrain – which make every effort to combat terrorism and extremism and share his positions on the Iran threat – to be the capitulating side. You cannot make this up. Right or wrong, morality or immorality do not figure in US geopolitical stances. Trump’s flip-flop is solely premised on Qatar’s usefulness to the United States in terms of investments, weapons purchases and most crucially Doha’s hosting of US Central Command’s forward headquarters that overseas America’s missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Unfortunately, I cannot help noticing that America’s mainstream media is tilting towards Qatar in its reports. Newspaper articles tend to portray Doha as an innocent victim which has been unfairly painted as a terrorist funder. Al Jazeera is likewise held high as a professional ethical network by writers with no knowledge of the Arabic language, who often display outrage at what they describe as an attack on free speech. In reality it is a broadcaster that would make arch propagandists Lord Haw Haw or Tokyo Rose proud. Qatar is astute at manipulating the US media. Huge sums are allocated for whitewashing via advertising, advertorials, social media campaigns and PR agencies. Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani deserves an Oscar for his adoption of a ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ mild-mannered, persona when interviewed. He comes across as the voice of reason defending his hard done-by country from its big bad former friends while all the while Qatar’s media I AM STRONGLY OPPOSED TO INTERFERENCE FROM THE US OR ANY OTHER NATION BENT ON SERVING ITS OWN INTERESTS. p. 6