Monday, May 29, 2017

UAE/Saudi alliance versus Qatar: Some remarks

1) this did not start out of nothing. There were signs before. There were more signs before in Qatari regime media than in the Saudi/UAE media. Qatari regime media have been for months swiping but mildly against things in Saudi Arabia and UAE.
2) This last round was clearly launched by the Saudi/UAE alliance, and it is clear that it was prepared.  Avalanche of articles and interviews were tossed into the ring immediately in the wake of Trump's visit.
3) Ironically, the Saudi regime media attack Qatar for being too close to US and Israel and to Iran.  In other words, the Saudi regime still maintains it holds a pure position against Israel.
4) the Qatari regime media are still playing defensive: they refrain from attacking UAE and Saudi Arabia head on.  The only thing that was launched yesterday was the video released "anonymously" on Youtube against the sons of Zayid in UAE. There are hints that this was produced by the Qatari regime.
5) Some Saudis are still publicly urging caution and restraints: these are the Saudi intellectuals and writers who are Ikhwanist and are fiercely opposed to what is (falsely) called in Saudi Arabia "the liberals", who are the staunch supporters of Muhammad bin Salman.
6) There is an overkill in the Saudi regime media: the likes of which we have not seen since the 1960s and Saudi regime campaign against Nasser.  Saudi regime media never plays matter to that degree: but then again, this Muhammad bin Salman plays to a different tune in a new style.
7) Qatari regime media expresses hope of reconciliation and still insists that the matter is merely a misunderstanding.  They are increasing the tone against Iranian and Syrian regime perhaps to show their credentials.
8) as someone who followed the Qatari-Saudi feud for years (and contributed to it on Aljazeera in the past) I sense something different this time. As if there is a Saudi scheme (not the first time) for a coup in Doha.  The Qatari regime media and diplomatic response to the crisis in the first day exhibited signs of divisions and awkwardness.
9) Qatar attends to this feud with far more disadvantages than in the past: Aljazeera is no more the strong weapon it was.