QATAR: The Unexpected Consequences of Saudi ‘Muscle’ Flexing

‘The quarrel between Saudi Arabia and Qatar which began on 5th June is taking unexpected twists and turns. Events are moving so fast that it is becoming difficult to foresee what will happen next week, let alone next month. Even so, some equations in the Gulf and the wider Middle East appear to have changed and need to be noted.
But first, a brief recapitulation of the events since 5th June. On that day, Saudi Arabia announced that it was breaking diplomatic relations with Qatar because of the latter’s support to terrorist groups and her growing closeness to Iran.
Saudi Arabia also takes a dim view of Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas; the activities of the Qatari news channel Al Jazeera; and Qatar’s position as the largest exporter of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) in the world.
The Saudis closed their sea, air, and land borders to Qatar, and gave Qatari nationals in the Kingdom two weeks to leave the country. They also called on Saudi nationals to leave Qatar within two weeks.’
Read more: QATAR: The Unexpected Consequences of Saudi ‘Muscle’ Flexing