Saudi Arabia and UAE: When bullies come a cropper

When the bullies on the block get carried away with their own sense of self-importance, they follow a clear pattern: Make an unreasonable demand, one that is impossible to meet, and follow that up with a tight deadline along the lines of "have the money by midnight or else".

And so it was that Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman and his co-bully  the UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed, otherwise known as MbZ, presented a list of 13 demands to Qatar. 

This was barely three weeks after the Saudis and the Emiratis, together with Bahrain and Egypt had instituted air, sea and road blockades, ordered Qatari diplomats to leave immediately and given Qatari citizens living in their countries two weeks to get out.

The Saudis and the Emiratis were fed up with what they saw as Qatar's broken promises to rein in the broadcaster Al Jazeera, break their ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and fall into line by denouncing Iran.

The immediate consequences for Qatari nationals were dire.  Families with mixed nationalities have been split up. Students nearing the end of term uprooted from their schools. Jobs and incomes lost. But that wasn't the end of it, not by a long shot.

The list of demands given the Qataris on 23 June included  the shuttering of Al Jazeera, the ending of contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood, a dramatic scaling back of cooperation with Iran, the removal of Turkish troops from Qatar, and submission to monthly external compliance checks.

Mohamed bin Salman, or MbS as he is called, was already strutting with the success of the Riyadh putsch on 21 June that saw his only rival to the throne, Mohammed bin Nayef stripped of his titles of crown prince and minister of the interior and placed under virtual house arrest. Replacing his rival as crown prince, MbS assumed the role of next in line to his ailing father, King Salman. Two days later came the list.In other words: unconditional surrender and acceptance of the suzerainty of the Saudis and the Emiratis over Qatar's domestic and foreign affairs. And one other point: you have ten days to comply, though the deadline which was due to expire today, was extended by 48 hours overnight.

Qatar quite understandably has refused to submit, and called for dialogue saying they will not compromise their sovereignty and the right to have an independent foreign policy.

 

 

 
 

Drop the blockade, withdraw the unreasonable demands and let us have a conversation. A grown up approach, given that the rupture of the six nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plays into the hands of Iran and elevates the opportunities for Turkey to meddle, to say nothing of the economic damage that will accrue to the GCC at a time of continuing low hydrocarbon prices.

But the other side is not in the mood for reasonable behaviour. Clearly MbS and MbZ are enjoying playing the bully role with a vengeance. What they have not thought through are the consequences of their actions. As one economic analyst wryly put it, the Saudis and the Emiratis "have not done a full impact assessment".

Were they to do so, they might reflect that picking a fight with Qatar while engaged in a long and ugly war in Yemen is strategically not the soundest of strategies. The neighbourhood is already tense, why start another fire?

They might see that ripping apart the GCC serves no one's interests save Iran's. They might think too about the global reputational damage their campaign against Qatar is causing them.

I am a frequent critic of treatment of migrant workers in Qatar, building football's 2022 World Cup facilities in often awful circumstances, but you cannot cut it any other way than to see this is a little country being ganged up on. 

The Saudis and the Emiratis look to the rest of us as what they are - mean-spirited bullies.

The New Arab

 

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