WHAT’S UP WITH QATAR?
Last week one of the most significant stories was the sudden break, or rather, apparently sudden break, of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, on the one hand, and Qatar on the other. In fact, Mr. J.D. and H.B. began what became a trend of people sharing the following articles with me:
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, & Bahrain Cut Diplomatic Ties, Shut All Borders With Qatar
Gulf plunged into diplomatic crisis as countries cut ties with Qatar
If one looks at the Guardian article for a moment, it would appear that at one level, Saudi Arabia is in fact trying to take steps to minimize and distance itself from its hitherto traditional support for Islamic terrorist groups, in this case, the usual cast of characters, the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaida, the Islamic state:
The small but very wealthy nation, the richest in the world per capita, was also expelled from a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
The coordinated move dramatically escalates a dispute over Qatar’s support of Islamist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and its perceived tolerance of Saudi Arabia’s arch-rival, Iran. The dispute is the worst to hit the Gulf since the formation of the Gulf Co-operation Council in 1981.
Qatar’s foreign affairs ministry said the measures were unjustified and based on false claims and assumptions. As the Qatari stock market tumbled and oil prices rose, it accused its fellow Gulf states of violating its sovereignty.
“The state of Qatar has been subjected to a campaign of lies that have reached the point of complete fabrication,” a statement said. “It reveals a hidden plan to undermine the state of Qatar.”
Saudi Arabia said it took the decision to cut diplomatic ties owing to Qatar’s “embrace of various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilising the region”, including the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaida, Islamic State and groups supported by Iran in Saudi Arabia’s restive eastern province of Qatif.
Of course, behind this, there is the usual and to-be-expected reference to Iran and Iranian state-supported terrorism and groups. Qatar, though a Suni state, has been more "tolerant" of Shia Iran than Saudi Arabia would like.
If one were to stop there, one would have the impression that this is the usual Suni-Shia split manifesting itself once again, which of course, in a way, it is. But there are deeper players and stories lurking behind the scenes, and many people, when this story broke, were kind enough to to go digging and share their results. For example, Ms. K.M. found this story in Russia's Sputnik, and its implications, if one reads between the lines a bit, are stunning:
The Dead Sea to Strengthen China's Geopolitical Presence in the Middle East
Note the following statement; the implications will immediately be apparent:
China is a footstep away from winning the tender for Phase 1 of the Middle Eastern 'Red-Dead' water project, launched by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Israeli and Chinese experts have commented to Sputnik on how it could help Beijing to strengthen its presence in the region.
China National Technical Import and Export Corp. has been shortlisted for Phase 1 of the "Red-Dead" water project launched by Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The other four finalists are Hong Kong's Hutchison Water International Holdings, South Korean Korea Water Resources Corp., Japan-based Mitsubishi Corp. and France’s Suez International SAS. The results of the tender are to be announced by the end of June. (Emphasis in the original)
Some time ago I blogged about the fact that Middle Eastern stability was a necessary component for China's various Silk Road Projects to work. Of course, China is not so stupid as to place all of its chips in the perpetually risky Middle East. It is pursuing other silk road projects through central Asia and, of course, through its ally, Russia, much further to the north.
What's notable here is that China is dealing directly with two of the more stable nations in the region, Israel, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, as well as the Palestinian Authority, for developing water resources. I am not, frankly, surprised that Jordan would court the Chinese. I am much more intrigued by Israel also apparently putting a Chinese firm on its short list for development, for a very simple reason: in the wake of the Paris summit, and last year's Brexit vote, German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced what may be the quiet whispers in other corridors of power: the USA and UK have become "unrealiable" allies, and hence, Germany and Europe must assume a much more independent course. Now it appears that Tel Aviv is voicing similar concerns, though not so much in words as in deeds.
So how does this relate to the recent diplomatic developments with Qatar?
For one thing, I have no doubts the initiative originated in Riyadh. The real question is why?
Answer: it seems that, beyond Qatar's more open attitude toward Iran, there is something else in play, according to this article spooted by Mr. B:
Note, Mr. G. informed me in the accompanying email, the following:
Russia says 386 agreements for around 2 trillion rubles ($35.32 billion) were signed at a recent economic forum.
Representatives of business, international organizations and experts from more than 143 countries attended the gathering, Presidential adviser Anton Kobyakov said at a press conference on the results of the SPIEF-2017.
SPIEF is an annual Kremlin-run, high-profile gathering of business and political figures.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the event this year with India being the “guest country” of SPIEF-2017. Qatar announced its intention to be the guest country next year.
(Emphasis added)
In other words, Qatar was making moves to become associated with the BRICSA bloc, and therefore, a participant at some stage in the Silk Road Project, and this, of course, would have expanded Iran's influence in the region.
What might come of this? The Saudis, again, may have stepped into a bear trap from which they cannot disentangle themselves, for all it will take, at this juncture, to compound their difficulties, is for China and/or Russia to extend humanitarian aide to that tiny country, and perhaps some "military advisors", in return for a seat at the table. That, of course, would be a risky venture, but seemingly no less risky than the new Riyadh unipolarism that seems to be emerging. And in this light, one has to wonder whether or not the whole Qatar venture was even floated - much less green-lighted - in Washington or London. There are of course many reasons to assume and argue that it was, for the action gives a context for the recent Trump-Saudi arms deal. Time will tell, of course, whether that supposition is true. But I cannot help but entertain the notion or hypothesis that it might not have been. London's and Washington's foreknowledge of such a break is not the same thing as green-lighting or even discussing it. And if indeed the Saudis initiated the action on their own, then they might have just been sucker-punched. I cannot, even while entertaining that high octane speculation, imagine that either London or Washington view the alternative - growing Chinese and Iranian influence in the region - with anything but a jaundiced eye.
But note, for the record, that the really odd man out in all these goings on, is Tel Aviv, and they, not Riyadh, will ultimately set the tone.
And notably, they're talking to, rather than confronting, the Chinese.
See you on the flip side...
26 Comments
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there is plenty of lithium in the dead sea..
as for water works, ghadaffi’s were the best until ‘we’ blew it all up.
I always thought Qatar was just a front country for Exxon, so I guess Tillerson is ultimately behind this, and the hole thing is an elaborate ruse to give the Saudis some anti-terror street cred, coming as it does only days after TrumpCo finished stroking that creepy orb.
Or, it’s a huge realignment toward Iran and you’ll see Exxon and Centcom pull out and Qatar will soon suffer, along with South Korea, the usual lost/crashed airliner, freak earthquake or plague of locusts.
I think it is a lot simpler. Qatar just realized it will NEVER get its gas to Europe without Syria AND Iran’s approval. So they’ve thrown their lot in with Iran to jointly ship gas to Europe via Iran’s gas pipeline through Syria.
Problem is Iran won’t take US dollars. So Qatar probably said “okay we’ll take some in Euros” and threatened the US dollar reserve currency with another break from the ranks.
That is usually what gets countries into trouble. Selling oil and gas for non-US dollars is not allowed by empire america.
The U.S. main strength is in its military/dollar hegemony.
Both have a symbiotic relationship vital to their transnational fascist empire that the 1% thrive on. Hurt one; the other subsequently suffers.
Thus when Qatar joins Russia, China and Iran in trading energy in yuan; the U.S. seigniorage privileges are entering the crosshairs. Already in 2012 Iran began to accept yuan for its oil & gas, followed by Russia. If this takes off[enter Qatar], it could literally spell the end of all U.S. global power. Country’s exchange reserves are insurance against a crisis w/in their own currency. It is in their own interest to have a reserve that translate into oil/gas/gold. That’s right, China is getting set just to do that.
In that frame these events begin to fill in another lens piece, from which various perspectives focus more coherently.
I tend to agree-with The Saker’s deep-analysis of the motives:
http://thesaker.is/the-crisis-in-qatar-yet-another-clumsy-attempt-by-the-three-rogue-states-to-weaken-iran/
“What he have here is a severe case of smoke and mirrors, and what is really taking place is, yet again, a clumsy attempt by the Three Rogue States (USA, Saudi Arabia, Israel) to weaken Iran.
…
Even worse is the fact that Saudis are facing a severe economic crisis with no end in sight, while Qatar has become the richest country on the planet, mostly thanks to an immense gas field Qatar shares with Iran. It could appear that Qatar is not such a big threat to Saudi Arabia after all, being – unlike Iran – another Salafi country, but in reality this is very much part of the problem: over the past couple of decades the Qataris have felt their new wealth give them means completely out of proportion with their physical size: not only did they create the most influential media empire of the Middle-East, al-Jazeera, but they even embarked on a foreign policy of their own which made them key players in the crises in Libya, Egypt and Syria. And yes, Qatar did become a prime supporter of terrorism, but so are the United States, Saudi Arabia or Israel, so that is just a hollow pretext.
The real Qatari ‘crime’ was to refuse, on purely pragmatic reasons, to join into the massive anti-Iranian campaign imposed on the region by Saudi Arabia and Israel. Unlike the long list of countries who had to voice their support for the Saudi position, the Qataris could had the means to simply say ‘no’ and chart its own course.
What the Saudis now are hoping for is that Qatar will yield to the threats and that the Saudi-lead coalition will prevail without having a ‘hot’ war against Qatar. How likely they are to achieve this result is anyone’s guess…”
Also, a nuanced analysis of the regional situation (including Qatar) by Pepe Escobar:
http://thesaker.is/blood-on-the-tracks-of-the-new-silk-roads-qatar-chaos-sends-ripples-of-economic-anxiety-across-the-region/
—
Read the article, and you will understand why the Chinese (at least the leadership) have to be from the planet Mudd (from ST TOS episode “I, Mudd”, 1967):
Norman: “We cannot allow any race as greedy and corruptible as yours to have free run of the galaxy.”
Spock: “I’m curious, Norman. Just how do you intend to stop them?”
Norman: “We shall serve them. Their kind will be eager to accept our service. Soon, they will become completely dependent upon us.”
Alice 99: “Their aggressive and acquisitive instincts will be under our control.”
Norman: “We shall take care of them.”
Spock: “Eminently practical.”
—
——
—
(And just because these were fun quotes:)
Spock: “Logic is a little tweeting bird chirping in a meadow. Logic is a wreath of pretty flowers which smell BAD.”
—
Alice #1 through 250: “You desire something else, lord?”
Chekov: “What a shame you’re not real.”
Alice #251 through 500: “We are real, my lord.”
Chekov: “Oh, I mean ‘real girls’.”
Alice #1 through 250: “We are programmed to function as human females, lord.”
Chekov: “You are?”
Alice #1 through 250, Alice #251 through 500: [In unison] “Yes, my lord.”
Chekov: “Harry Mudd programmed you?”
Alice #1 through 250, Alice #251 through 500: [in unison] “Yes, my lord.”
Chekov: “That unprincipled, evil-minded, lecherous, kulak, Harry Mudd programmed you?”
Alice #1 through 250, Alice #251 through 500: [In unison] “Yes, my lord.”
Chekov: “This place is even better than Leningrad!”
(Substitute-in Yeoman Rand and, say, a Hugh Jackman android-model in the above quotes to also be politically-correct. *grin*)
“Your comment is awaiting moderation.” Three in a row! Well, at least I’m over the target…
goshawks – June 16, 2017 at 5:25 am.
“Your comment is awaiting moderation.”
goshawks – June 16, 2017 at 4:09 am
Let’s camouflage the url and see what happens:
Also, a nuanced analysis of the regional situation (including Qatar) by Pepe Escobar:
th@saker dot is/blood-on-the-tracks-of-the-new-silk-roads-qatar-chaos-sends-ripples-of-economic-anxiety-across-the-region/
—
Read the article, and you will understand why the Chinese (at least the leadership) have to be from the planet Mudd (from ST TOS episode “I, Mudd”, 1967):
Norman: “We cannot allow any race as greedy and corruptible as yours to have free run of the galaxy.”
Spock: “I’m curious, Norman. Just how do you intend to stop them?”
Norman: “We shall serve them. Their kind will be eager to accept our service. Soon, they will become completely dependent upon us.”
Alice 99: “Their aggressive and acquisitive instincts will be under our control.”
Norman: “We shall take care of them.”
Spock: “Eminently practical.”
—
——
—
(And just because these were fun quotes:)
Spock: “Logic is a little tweeting bird chirping in a meadow. Logic is a wreath of pretty flowers which smell BAD.”
—
Alice #1 through 250: “You desire something else, lord?”
Chekov: “What a shame you’re not real.”
Alice #251 through 500: “We are real, my lord.”
Chekov: “Oh, I mean ‘real girls’.”
Alice #1 through 250: “We are programmed to function as human females, lord.”
Chekov: “You are?”
Alice #1 through 250, Alice #251 through 500: [In unison] “Yes, my lord.”
Chekov: “Harry Mudd programmed you?”
Alice #1 through 250, Alice #251 through 500: [in unison] “Yes, my lord.”
Chekov: “That unprincipled, evil-minded, lecherous, kulak, Harry Mudd programmed you?”
Alice #1 through 250, Alice #251 through 500: [In unison] “Yes, my lord.”
Chekov: “This place is even better than Leningrad!”
(Substitute-in Yeoman Rand and, say, a Hugh Jackman android-model in the above quotes to also be politically-correct. *grin*)
“Your comment is awaiting moderation.” Twice in a row. You’ll have to wait for the cage to be opened…
goshawks – June 16, 2017 at 4:12 am.
If you substitute “AngloZionist” for “US/America/Washington” in the following, there is much food-for-thought around the Qatar situation:
http://abundanthope.net/pages/Political_Information_43/The-Machiavellian-Plot-to-Provoke-Saudi-Arabia-and-Qatar-into-a-Blood-Border-War_printer.shtml
“The Machiavellian Plot to Provoke Saudi Arabia and Qatar into a ‘Blood Border’ War” by Andrew Korybko – June 8, 2017
“Experts all across the world are trying to figure out what’s really fueling the Qatari-Saudi Cold War, but the answer is simple – the US. As it’s always prone to do, Washington is masterfully playing a game of divide and conquer in the Mideast, doing the same thing to its Gulf allies as it did to its North African ones during the theater-wide ‘Arab Spring’ Color Revolutions, except this time pitting them against one another on a state-to-state level as opposed to an intra-state one between the government and some of its citizenry.
The long-term purpose behind all of this is to usher in Ralph Peters’ 2006 ‘Blood Borders’ blueprint for the ‘New Middle East’, wherein the Gulf eventually undergoes a geopolitical reengineering just like ‘Syraq’, Turkey, and the Balkans are slated to do as well. All in all, the fracturing of the region into a myriad of internationally recognized and de-facto statelets is expected to facilitate the prolongation of American hegemony in the broad interconnected space that the late Brzezinski described as the ‘Eurasian Balkans’, while simultaneously creating major complications for its Russian and especially Chinese rivals’ access to this geostrategic pivot space at the heart of Afro-Eurasia.”
“Your comment is awaiting moderation.” Three in a row! Well, at least I’m over the target…
goshawks – June 16, 2017 at 5:25 am.
Great information, shows all the players and explains it all so well. The u.s. oligarchs are so arrogant and evil with their plans to rule the world.
Thanks for the articles and analysis Dr. Farrell. The possibility of Qatar joining the BRICSA bloc and China’s Silk Projects makes perfect sense for the tensions happening in that tiny country.
Interesting that it’s China that is bringing the Israeli and Palestinian government together to cooperate over water. Where as the Western governments seem always seem to bring discord to that area along throughout other parts of the World as well. By the way Joseph what’s your take on the shootout in Alexandria Virginia the fingerprints of Soros and co. maybe.
Qatar? In a few weeks this will have disappeared from the news, just like Trump’s Tomahawks and Kim’s Capering. However, the “Red-Dead” project, if it actually goes through, has ramifications. The “bottom line” financial aspect is in the triangulation of water and hydro-power transaction. It seems unlikely that a mere pipeline will have any effect on the water levels in the Dead Sea – anyway, the Chinese have bought a Dead-Sea-Mud-Cosmetics company, so they don’t expect significant change in the water composition.
But nobody DARES to openly propose a form of geoengineering to BENEFIT suffering humanity in those parts, by making it rain decent seasonal amounts, every year (preferably WITHOUT alluminium, barium etc.). No, water must be desalinated in expensive imported plants, and the water and power must be metered and charged at exhorbitant rates. Want to bet that the most outrageous prices will be charged to the Palestinians?
Saudia Arabia: another nation that is sacrificing it’s national interests fro the sake of the Greater Israel Project.
On the night of the election after the media announced Trump was the winner, a 12 pound hermaphrodite was born in our village. Some of the elders took this to be very auspicious for the world while others felt it did not bode well for mankind. When I compare Trump’s heroic actions in the USA fighting both IG Farben and leftover Soviet sleeper cells, and I compare it to his mid-east policy and his slavish subservience to all things Israel, I too wonder what this 12 pound hermaphrodite portends?
With the intentional destruction of the West from within by “those who cannot be criticized” we are seeing the rise of the “One road to rule them all”. “By way of deception shalt thou wage war” pretty much says it all.
“I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the Synagogue of Satan.” Revelation 2:9
A more eloquent article on this by Texe Marrs can be found at:
http://www.texemarrs.com/032007/synagogue_of_satan_article.htm
People are waking up to what is going on and this cannot be allowed.
“One road to rule them all”…..perfect!!!!
What?? you mean the Khazarians are going to HAVE to give back all the water they stole from the 12 tribes of Isreal? No.. yiddish not possible..
They own all that water fairly and squarely.. Conquering is given, rendering back to the rightful indiginous population (the ones with the actual Jewish DNA.. yeh those palestiniens that are getting trampled on.. those are the ones.) is stealing..
They need to go back 6-8 thousand years and start constucting waterways and irrigation worthy of the name. Their ancestors were Fantastic at geological landscaping in order to move rivers, build aquaducts and transport water.. (donaldtrump moment…) Amazing.. amazing..
The “football” is up. Trump is “Lawrence of Arabia”. Divide et impera flipping the coin is Pax Romana. Factional infighting is local sport game. Tribal nature.
Google translate doesn’t have an option for Druidspeak, so I must confess I find your comment inscrutable. Your earlier comment about slaying dragons and bathing in their blood was imaginative, though. Re Qatar, fresher news has this whole “Qatar supports terrorism” narrative falling apart; Iran is on its way to Qatar with material assistance and S. A. does not appear to be doing anything serious to stop it. But, across much of the news, we see the “standard narratives” falling apart. The self-destruction of the S. N. involving the abandoned school in Connecticut being used for a big staged production is, in my mind, the flashiest one. It reminds me of a falling-down drunk, helpless on the sawdust floor, flailing at the bar stool with one grasping hand. “Help me up, for crissake!”, he slurs. “Can’t you see I’m perfectly sober! Help me up. I’m fine!”
PtT, I haven’t quite decided whether ‘anakephalaiosis’ is machine-generated or not. Three out of four comments are word-salad, which I could see generated by inputting the day’s commentary and slicing-and-dicing the nouns/verbs into sentences and throwing-in Biblical verses. One out of four seems to have a human in the loop. (There is also a very strange ‘vibe’ coming out of the machine-like, word-salad comments.) ‘anakephalaiosis’ is well worth watching, just from this angle…
Yep, that comment really makes no sense at all. Frankly, given the content of this site and those who post to it, I’m amazed it hasn’t drawn more shills and trolls. This community may not agree on a great many things, but the comments have decent content. You rarely ever see total gibberish posted.
Maybe common core is finally catching up with those individuals who delight in such nonsense.
unless “it” responds – let me attempt to – i enjoy the comments from anakeph* – perhaps b/c i my self speak cryptically due to the inner worlds i experience that most aren’t, so it seems…
football is up = what is football? foot-ball…foot-ball dictates which direction the game is moving – home/away – up means direction is not determined – we’re stuck at a yard line moving very little at the moment.
lawrence of arabia – have we not seen this movie all about british divide and rule ME politics with a nice bright smile and blond hair? i only watched it two years ago myself…trump is the new LOA…
Divide et impera – divide and conquer/rule – pax romana – the romans (praetorian guard some say) are the ones flipping the coin…back to football analogy…
factional infighting – what you cause, you suffer affects – that the “masters of the universe (sic)” think they can divide every one else and not suffer from their own creation is fantasy…but they play that game anyway…
the entity, could be a bot – yet makes me think and consider new angles…
There was an episode (not really good) of Star Trek TNG where Picard had to attempt communication with a species that ONLY talked in metaphor. Perhaps, that is what is going-on here, if ‘anakephalaiosis’ is a he or she rather than (mostly) an it…
Goshawks, definitely is not a she. He posted about a month ago that he does not allow women in His church, that women are to take care of their husbands and be subservient.