Qatar: A double agent

CAIRO - 6 June 2017: What happened in the last 48 hours with Qatar by the severance of relations by six Arab countries, in addition to the Maldives and Mauritius, is now known to the entire world. The question now is what will happen next?

Despite the critical situation Qatar is facing right now, their denial is apparent, as can be seen by the statements of their Foreign Minister, and they still continue to miscalculate their status. They continue to act based on their complex of being a follower rather than a leader in the region. A complex which apparently was the driving engine for their policies.

Qatar has recently been using its newfound wealth in trying to interfere in the internal affairs of other neighboring countries and forcing its guardianship on their governments. As part of getting over its historical and geographical complex, Qatar started playing the role of double agent. This became apparent in its double standards in managing its relations with many countries. For example Qatar has good relations with Israel, yet also it harbors the leaders of Hamas. In Lebanon it calls for the sovereignty of the state and on the other hand it supports and funds Hezbollah, as is the case in Yemen and other countries. So basically Qatar is a double agent who tries to prove that it is present and is indispensable in the region.

The Egyptian Administration has sent many warnings since 2015, but they were not taken seriously by Gulf countries at the time. However, now that it has become apparent that Qatar is funding and supporting terrorism in the region, and since there’s enough evidence of the evil role Qatar is playing, the Gulf countries are finally convinced.
That crystallized after the US Islamic Summit where a coalition against Iran was agreed and to which Qatar signed on; then came the surprise of its later declarations in support of Iran. After this conviction was established, the outcome was the announced diplomatic, economic and media war on Qatar. In short, Qatar is now put in isolation. It is expected that the Qatari regime is to be changed since Prince Tamim has not only lost his regional legitimacy, but he’s certainly losing his internal legitimacy. It won’t be before long that Qatari people would see him ‘As Unfit to Rule’, as they question where and how are their funds and wealth spent, and why are they being punished. To sum things up, the next ten days are going to be quite crucial in deciding the way forward for Qatar.