(Foreign Policy) Danielle Pletka - The emirate of Qatar houses a key U.S. air base, Al Udeid, and enjoys a defense pact and major non-NATO ally status with the U.S., all the while maintaining friendly relations with Iran; hosting senior leaders of U.S.-designated terrorist groups including Hamas and the Taliban; and financing Al Jazeera, a media network that pushes anti-Israel, anti-U.S., pro-Iran, and pro-Muslim Brotherhood messaging. Qatar's success has made it a model for the rest of the region. Increasingly doubtful about the constancy of U.S. military support, the rest of the Gulf is in the process of hedging their bets against U.S. power, playing footsie with Tehran and making economic and weapons deals with China and Russia. It became clear after Iranian-sponsored attacks on key Saudi oil facilities that even the most virulent of Iran's foes in the White House would not spring to Riyadh's defense. The writer is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
2022-05-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive