Bombshell in the Gulf: The GCC/Qatar Crisis
So what does a geopolitical bombshell look like, exactly? Well, something like what took place this past week in the Gulf. Namely:
- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt, Mauritania, Yemen, and the Bayda-based so-called “eastern” government in Libya (and Maldives, don’t forget Maldives!) all cut diplomatic ties with Qatar this week.
- The governments of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have ordered all Qatari citizens out of their respective countries within the next two weeks.
- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have also banned all sea and air travel to and from Qatar, with Saudi Arabia shutting down the embattled state’s only land border.
- The UAE has made it illegal for any of its citizens to even voice support for Qatar, punishing offenders with hefty fines and up to 15 years in jail.
- Egypt is trying to get the U.N. to investigate Qatar for a 2015 incident where the Qataris allegedly paid $1 billion to a terrorist group in Iraq to free 26 hostages, including members of the Qatari royal family.
- Egypt issued a 10-point ultimatum with a 24-hour deadline calling on the Qataris to sever diplomatic relations with Iran, expel members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, close down Al Jazeera, and end support for terrorist organizations, among other items.
- Turkey’s parliament, meanwhile, has fast-tracked legislation allowing troops to be deployed to a Turkish base in Qatar in an apparent show of solidarity with its regional ally.
That, my friends, is a geopolitical bombshell.
Now, as out-of-the-blue as all this might appear to casual observers of the region, it makes more sense if one puts these events into the larger historical context of ongoing tense relations between the State of Qatar and its Arab neighbors. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt had a months-long diplomatic dispute with the Qataris just three years ago that involved the withdrawal of those countries’ ambassadors from the capital city of Doha over the state’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood and other non-Saudi-approved extremists. Saudi Arabia has also closed Qatar’s land border during upheavals in the past.
But still, this particular dust-up is clearly an order of magnitude above previous tiffs, and it’s magnified by the precarious nature of a region already on the knife-edge in so many ways.
So the obvious question is, why? What line was crossed that necessitated a reaction like this? And why now?
Find out more about the crisis in the Gulf in this week’s edition of The Corbett Report Subscriber.
For free access to this editorial, please CLICK HERE.
For full access to the subscriber newsletter, and to support this website, please become a member.
This content is restricted to site members. If you are an existing user, please log in. New users may register here.
Filed in: Newsletter
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
This article was very revealing for me. It helped me on sorting out some of the confusions and also delved into Why? and Why now?.
PODUNK
For me, sometimes I find some of these countries very small in size and somewhat insignificant on the world stage by comparison to other places.
Qatar’s total population is about the size of Houston, TX. But more than 85% of their population are foreign workers.
OIL
By comparative perspective, the podunk area in the Texas Permian Basin produces more oil/gas liquids than Qatar.
(Having once lived in Permian area towns like Odessa and also in Big Springs, I can tell you first hand what “Podunk” is.)
GAS RESERVES
All that said, Qatar does have an incredibly large amount of Natural Gas Reserves. Massive for such a small country.
Evidently the top 3 countries with natural gas reserves…
#1 – Russia
#2 – Iran
#3 – Qatar
#5 – USA
#6 – Saudi Arabia
#7 – United Arab Emirates
Hmmm.?… It is interesting those top three countries are strongly demonized.
@HomeRemedySupply:
Indeed, lets not forget natural gas.
UAE is an importer of natural gas. And I think that Saudi-Arabia’s gas production will prove in the coming years to be insufficient for it’s growing demand for natural gas. Saudi-Arabia’s gasproduction may peak in this decade.
What’s really interesting here is how some of the battle lines are being drawn in certain areas, and muddled in other areas.
We have supposed ISIS supporter Turkey coming to Qatar’s aid, meanwhile another ISIS supporter Saudi Arabia is escalating the row with Qatar.
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration seem to be suffering from Schizophrenia. Secretary of state Tillerson called for a resolution and lifting of the blockade, meanwhile Trump lashes out at Qatar 90 minutes later offering support for the blockade.
Also, obviously linked somehow to the Qatar row, was that terrorist attack in Tehran just the other day.
This summer is shaping up to be interesting to say the least.
Peacefrogs & Home Remedy & Hans , A while back HRS touched on McClenddon of Chesapeake’s(?) fame (Dead by car driving straight into bridge abutment) I believe all the rigged leases he was after were primarily gas fields. SidebAr please. Also this weekend (6-8-17) we had the criterion bicycle races in Tulsa and the pollution from the sprating out west settled in and the sky was milky-creamy pale blue. My eyes were rough an red from the particulates. Point is I talked to two of the green jersey team members that had just finished the race and they were spent. Imagine the breaths they took in .They came across may path quite by accident I could see they were soaked in sweat and breathing hard. I asked how did you do ? One answered ‘I ah don’t know’ and the other catching his breath ‘I think we were second’ I left them and talked to my friend who was at the finish line who reported it was a wild finish and the green jerseys made up about a 7 second lead in the last 3-4 laps so they were giving in the all but I can’t remember seeing any racers who couldn’t remember what had just happen minutes before hand.. ??? I awoke with another spray hangover and have had a hell of a time thinking this piece though.I really wish this wasn’t happening. So what’s going on in natural gas ? James must be working on something, and have been greatly informed by all the comments and links/attachments. Thanks CorbettWorld!
Dang!
Hold my mouse.
Look at this…
Under Corbett’s “Recommended Viewing” is an excellent recent video with James Corbett narrating.
Information is a Weapon in the War of Terror June 9, 2017
(15 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oun0iLvjQck
~~~
…and be sure to check out the new “Joy Camp” videos…
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbTAyG0YJfzbwZjvTm38KJA
Great article James. Very insightful. I’d love to see you and Pepe do a video speaking to this topic. I used to love it when he was a regular gust on your podcast. He also just wrote a brilliant and carefully researched (due to the large amount of disinformation surrounding events) article on Qatar: http://www.globalresearch.ca/trumps-sword-dance-sets-off-the-war-of-the-wahhabis/5593918
Thou wilt not mess with the petrodollar! Especially if you’re Arab…
Well I’m far from knowledgeable on this subject, and I’m absolutely convinced Mr Corbett’s analysis is nuanced, insightful and spot on as it always is,
but with Irak and Libya in mind, when Mr. Corbett asks his readers the question:
“So what’s really behind this bombshell?”
I thought he was going to say something along the lines of what Mr. Escobar pointed out towards the end of his article:
“Add to it Qatar opening the first yuan clearing center in the Middle East; that’s something that did not go down well with financial Masters of the Universe.”
yea, I bet…just ask the defunct leaders of Irak and Libya…
No good for BISness…
(Bank for International Settlements BIS that is)
(As openers to an alternative angle for viewing current geo-political events, I just love showing students who’s Not on the member roster of That club (referring to the list shown at the bottom of the Bank for International Settlements wikipedia page).
clarification: who’s Not on the list: Libya, Syria, Irak, Iran…
United Arab Emirates Is on the list and Qatar… I don’t know…
Does the clearinghouse involve directly or indirectly facilitating the sale of gas in something other than petrodollars, I don’t know…
I just thought the answer to Mr. Corbett’s question would be somthing, closely or farly to do with petrodollars…
and that concrete currency complicity with China, then maybe Russia, Iran etc…
Anyhow… I’m late…
Then again, after three seconds of thought, if the West built up the East as I’m convinced they did, in the ways described by Mr Corbett (as there’s the controlled demolition of the West, there’s been the controlled construction of the East founded on Western-controlled money and ideology)
then perhaps a clearing-house for the Yuan in Qatar is precisely part of the plan for some of the BIS clan…?
Anyhow, I have a tendency to mix apples and oranges and that was my confused musing for the day as I race off to work…
nosoapradio, This is a nice read. Thanks.
Like i always say ‘its always the banksters’
Thanks for a bit of clarity on what’s going on here, James.
Recent quotes from the likes of Saudi Arabia, accusing Qatar of “supporting terrorism” have had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Similar to John Kerry’s finger waving at Russia for “invading” a sovereign nation on “trumped up” charges with respect to Ukraine.
Yes, the hypocrisies are a sad source of hilarity to myself as well.Hearing Trump call Iran the greatest source of destabilization in the region was a real hoot. Reminds me of that lame/cliche statement: “Every time you point your finger at someone three fingers are pointing back at you.”
Yeah, but you have to give credit where credit is do, and John Kerry was instrumental negotiating the P5+1 agreement with both the Russians and Iran, and contrary to what Trump and Israel may say about it, it’s a great deal, that actually allows the IAEA oversight into Iran’s nuclear program.
WikiLeaks Twitter – June 5, 2017
Saudi & Qatar governments funded and gave logistical support to ISIS (ISIL) confirms Hillary Clinton email
https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/871810068878168064
Thank you for ALL you do in the search of truth, Mr. Corbett
P.s. thought you’d be interested in this https://www.recode.net/2017/6/10/15774936/apple-podcast-analytics-wwdc
: Apple is going to let the people who make podcasts learn what podcast listeners actually like — and what they ignore.
A new version of Apple’s podcast app will provide basic analytics to podcast creators, giving them the ability to see when podcast listeners play individual episodes, and — crucially — what part of individual episodes they listen to, which parts they skip over and when they bail out of an episode….
I heard of the Middle East scholar/journalist Sharmine Narwani for the first time when she was a guest on a recent edition of RT’s Crosstalk. She impressed me.
So I followed up on her work and ideas, and want to share here what I consider an illuminating article on the dynamics being played out in Syria and Iraq.
“Why would Washington tolerate allied support of the very terrorist group it claims to want to destroy?
By portraying ISIS as the worst of all terror groups, al-Qaeda and its affiliates —by far the most efficient fighting force against the Syrian army and its allies— were able to fly under the radar to fight for regime change.
Furthermore, a globally demonized ISIS has also provided justification for direct Western action that might otherwise have been impossible after “humanitarian interventions†lost their allure, post-Libya.”
http://www.veteransnewsnow.com/2017/05/12/1014888-will-america-partition-syria/
The concept of Islamic State being a diversion, for the real proxy forces for regime change in Syria, was a new one for me.
The idea of creating a Kurdish buffer state between Iran and Israel is also a valid conclusion.
Throw in some oil and gas assets and you have a terrific plot line, even without the spectre of the UK and France wanting to regain their former influence in the region.
Having gone off to do other things, a thought stuck in my mind about a phrase in Sharmine Narwani’s article: “a globally demonized ISIS has also provided justification for direct Western action”.
In a previous post several weeks ago I had referenced an article about the involvement of a British PR firm in the production of videos for the US military/security hydra. Bell Pottinger reported to the Pentagon, the CIA and the National Security Council on its work in Iraq.
Unfortunately I can’t locate that earlier post, so I run the risk of being redundant here.
The highlight is that: “The Pentagon gave a controversial UK PR firm over half a billion dollars to run a top secret propaganda programme in Iraq…for information operations and psychological operations on a series of contracts issued from May 2007 to December 2011.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/10/02/fake-news-false-flags-how-pentagon-paid-british-pr-firm-500-million-top-secret-iraq
Hmmm, 2011 seems like a familiar date in Syrian history. My earlier post had suggested that Bell Pottinger, or at least someone like them, were used for the global demonizing of ISIS. Maybe that’s part of the reason Narwani’s article resonated with me.
Just for fun
Bruce Lee Punches Karate Grandmaster With The 1 Inch Punch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fI8lkP00_E
I miss those drive-in movie days. My High School buddies and I would often talk about Bruce Lee, especially after seeing him in a movie.
You know Bruce Lee is bad ass, when he can whoop Chuck Norris in “Way of the Dragon”.
Chuck used to film up in my area of Texas. Now he lives in the southeast part of Texas where on his ranch, he also bottles CFORCE water.
There are hundreds of Chuck Norris jokes…
Chuck Norris counted to infinity. Twice.
When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
There once was a street called Chuck Norris, but the name was changed for public safety because nobody crosses Chuck Norris and lives.
Once a cobra bit Chuck Norris’ leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
When Chuck Norris was in middle school, his English teacher assigned an essay: “What is courage?” He received an A+ for turning in a blank page with only his name at the top.
Bill Gates lives in constant fear that Chuck Norris’ PC will crash.
Incidentally, Chuck Norris and yours truly share the birthday.
How many pushups can Chuck Norris do? All of them.
Chuck Norris died 20 years ago. Death hasn’t gotten its courage up to break the news to him.
Chuck Norris breaks the law legally.
Jesus, Chuck Norris and the pope were trying to cross the river bead. Jesus goes first, walks on water and crosses. Chuck Norris goes second, does the same and crosses safely. Pope goes last, does a few steps and drowns. Jesus asks Chuck: you know about the rocks too? Chuck asks: what rocks?
When Chuck Norris would run late for school, the teacher would apologize for starting the class too early.
Chuck Norris was born by his aunt because nobody is allowed to f*ck his mother.
While other kids played in the sand, Chuck Norris played in concrete.
But seriously, we all know Chuck Norris is a failed actor. If he indeed was the strongest man alive he’d come right over and smash my head all over my key 8n r,iujyhrvg yuilm,rvg yu,vg yum,vg yum,vg yuruvg ykm,r umkvgy
I’m rolling on the floor….
Great piece, makes real sense of this very confusing region.
I only wish that Americans would use the proper English pronunciation of Qatar where it sounds more like Cat-tar rather than making it sound like an urban American serial killer the “Cutterâ€. Please try my dear American cousins. â¤ï¸
In my neck of the woods it’s pronounced like the word “katar” which means flem. Go figure.
I had originally used that proper pronunciation until I met a group of para-rescuers from there. Then we were told it was pronounced like cutter. Arrrggghhhh! JimBob the hopelessly unsophisticated