The Emir of Qatar is being shunned by his Arab brothers and neighboring states like a criminal with leprosy. The official justification for the severance of diplomatic relations and the closure of borders is breathtaking: Qatar is accused of being a cold-blooded, Islamist terror sponsor.
The incident is a historic scandal. Ironically, Qatar's former allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates are declaring to the world that Qatar supports Islamist terrorism.
The seriousness of the ban imposed by the group of states is evident from the embargo catalog: sea and air traffic connections to Qatar have been cut off. Diplomatic personnel are being withdrawn from the Emirate. All Qatari citizens, in turn, are required to leave Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates within two weeks. Etihad Airways announced that all flights to the Gulf Emirate will be canceled. Doha is set to be hit as an international transport hub.
Qatar accuses neighbors of lies
In short, the Gulf region is suddenly plunged into the most severe diplomatic crisis in years, especially since Qatar has long played a mediating role between the archenemies Iran and Saudi Arabia, which is now being negatively interpreted by the Emir. Particularly, the Emir's congratulatory message to the reform-oriented Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on his re-election is seen as high treason in Riyadh.
The terrorism accusations against Qatar are drastic, but they align with the findings of Western intelligence agencies warning for years about Qatar's deep involvement in Islamist terrorism. Now, Saudi Arabia and its allies also claim that Qatar not only massively supports the Muslim Brotherhood and secretly finances many Islamist groups worldwide but also funds the so-called Islamic State and Al-Qaeda and spreads their propaganda.
Qatar refutes the accusations: "This campaign of incitement is based on lies that have reached the level of complete fabrications," the Foreign Ministry stated.
Islamism and Pleasure
Indeed, the accusations are likely to be true. In large parts of the Arab world, Qatar has gained a reputation as an aspiring world power and Islamist conqueror due to its aggressive foreign policy. Libyans and Egyptians, in particular, hold the Emir responsible for the Islamization of their societies. Qatar is considered the main financier of the Muslim Brotherhood in these countries. The Islamist government in Cairo has been provided with loans amounting to eight billion euros by the Emirate.
At the same time, the Emir systematically supports the Taliban and especially the anti-Israeli Hamas with generous donations. With his millions, he has made Hamas an extended arm of his terror policy both in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. And when the civil war broke out in Syria, he saw an opportunity to play a major geopolitical role. Shortly after the uprising began, the Emir called for the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad, and later he demanded a military intervention in Syria. Since then, he has been financing and arming the insurgents. The majority of support goes to Islamist rebel groups that reject a democratic Syria and equal rights for Shiite and Christian minorities. Without him, the rise of ISIS would have been hardly possible.
While deeply involved in Islamist networks, the Emir also seeks the allure of the Western entertainment world. He brings major events like the 2015 Handball World Championship, the 2016 Cycling World Championship, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup to the Gulf. By 2030, according to the national master plan, Doha is set to become the world's sports capital. The Emir himself is an enthusiastic tennis player. He has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2002, when he was just 22 years old.
There is no shortage of cultural promotion either; he builds museums that are meant to overshadow the Louvre in Paris and is often seen with Western economic and societal figures. The father of nine strategically seeks to buy reputation.
Thus, the Emirate, whose citizens have the highest per capita income globally, appears as a dwarf giant state full of contradictions. Like his father, the Emir was trained at the British military academy in Sandhurst. While he advances Islamism worldwide, he also seeks to align with the USA. Qatar is home to the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US airbase in the region, with 10,000 US soldiers stationed there and the regional command of the US forces based there. No wonder US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calls on the Gulf states to quickly resolve their dispute.
However, this may be challenging as Qatar's reputation has been severely tarnished. Even the politically less sensitive German Football Association (DFB) is already distancing itself, with its president Reinhard Grindel stating, "The football community worldwide should agree that major tournaments cannot be held in countries actively supporting terrorism."
Exile in Greece?
So, what does German politics do now, which has so far received the Emir politely and seen him as a powerful partner? How do the major German corporations react, where Qatar is a customer, supplier, or even shareholder? The new situation is particularly delicate for Volkswagen and Deutsche Bank. Qatar, now declared a sponsor of terrorism, is a major shareholder in both companies, damaging their reputation.
Hence, there is already speculation that there might be a change of reign in Qatar, and the Saudis may force the Emir into exile. The Saudi Grand Mufti and the Saudi Ministry of Religious Affairs have published a letter denying any religious legitimacy to Qatar's ruling Al-Thani dynasty. In Arabia, this seems like an open call for overthrow - an unprecedented move among the Arab royal ruling dynasties.
At least in Greece, the Emir - despite being the youngest head of state in the Arab world - has already prepared for such a situation. After a summer retreat with his yacht "Al Mirqab" - built in Germany and one of the longest motor yachts in the world at 133 meters in length - in the blue waters off Ithaca, the mythical home of Odysseus, the Emir set his sights on a lovely island group. For five million euros, he acquired the island of Oxeia, which is nearly half the size of the Italian Capri at 4.2 square kilometers.
However, the Greeks made it quite difficult for the Emir to build a holiday property for himself and his clan, as they were reluctant to approve the 1000-square-meter kitchen and a 250-square-meter bathroom. Only when Qatar showed generosity towards Greece as a whole did the island project progress. The royal "Qatar Holding" invested 750 million euros in developing two gold mines and another 500 million euros in two Greek banks. When an additional one billion euros was deposited into an investment fund for small and medium-sized Greek companies, the construction permit was finally granted. With his immense wealth, he seemed able to buy almost anything until now. That era seems to be over.
[Article source: n.tv, June 6, 2017]
For more information on Top100Entrepreneur Dr. Wolfram Weimer: http://www.excellente-unternehmer.de/redner/wolfram-weimer
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