Qatar Is a U.S. Ally. They Also Knowingly Abet Terrorism. What's Going On?

This article about terrorists in Qatar is from 3 years ago. Why is it on the front page now? Is this related to Trump's visit, or what?


Qatar Is a U.S. Ally. They Also Knowingly Abet Terrorism. What's Going On?

BY LORI PLOTKIN BOGHARDT


October 6, 2014


The richest country in the world per capita has developed a working relationship with a particularly wide range of governments and groups, from Hezbollah to the Taliban. Qatar was also willing to engage Israelis after the Oslo Accords in the mid-1990s. (Relations have since soured.) Qatar’s basic foreign policy approach is not uncommon among small, vulnerable states.

Qatar has one of the smallest citizen populations in the Arab world (250,000), and the largest percentage of non-nationals in the world (88 percent). But Doha has pursued a maximalist version, often using its vast natural gas wealth to cultivate and sustain relations. To fully understand how this plays out you have to take a few central factors into account.

What are the goals of Qatari foreign policy?
Two overarching goals have driven Qatari policy. One has been to maximize Qatar’s influence on the regional and international stage. This originally reflected the personal ambition of the former ruler and current emir’s father, Shaykh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, and his foreign minister and eventual prime minister, Shaykh Hamad bin Jassim al Thani.

The two men directed foreign policy until the father abdicated in favor of his son, Emir Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, in July 2013.

The second objective has been to preserve the security of the ruling family and state. Qatar juts out into the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia, its much larger, more powerful, and sometimes hostile neighbor, with whom it shares its only land border. Iran, with whom Doha shares the world’s largest gas field, is a short distance across Gulf waters.

Another large and challenging state in the neighborhood, Iraq, is across the Gulf to the north. Hosting a major U.S. military base since 2003 has provided existential security for Qatar. Courting Islamists from the Muslim Brotherhood to Salafi groups has served as a power amplifier for the country, especially vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia.

Why does Qatar support the Muslim Brotherhood?
Qatar supported Muslim Brotherhood organizations in countries across the region during the Arab uprisings in 2011, believing they represented the wave of the future. From Qatar’s perspective, being at the front end of this trend would showcase the country’s supposedly progressive leadership.

Backing the Brotherhood represented a continuation of a strategy that was already in place. Doha had hosted Egyptian and, later, Syrian Brotherhood members for decades, including the maverick Egyptian cleric Yusuf al Qaradawi who has lived in Qatar since the 1960s. Qatar had also provided Brotherhood personalities an important means for disseminating their views via the state-funded media channel, Al Jazeera, since the mid-1990s.

Qatar’s relationship with the Brotherhood has functioned as an important bulwark against Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has viewed the Brotherhood as a significant domestic irritant since the 1990s, and designated it as a terrorist group in March of this year. Qatar’s patronage of and influence over some parts of the group have served as a stick to wield against its more powerful neighbor.

Qatar’s domestic environment reveals the complicated nature and extent of the country’s support for the Brotherhood. In Qatar, there is a total dearth of Islamist activism. The Islamist politics that Doha has championed in the broader region are illegal in Qatar.

Politics in Qatar are reserved for an elite circle of ruling family members and their appointees. An elected municipal council advises on local services, but the establishment of a a semi-elected assembly, called for in the new 2004 constitution, has been delayed multiple times. Political parties and associations are forbidden. The most remote forms of political expression by Qataris with regard to their own government are not tolerated. A Qatari poet, for instance, was sentence to life imprisonment in 2012 (reduced to 15 years in 2013) for verses that offended political sensibilities.


In this context, it is easy to understand that Qatar calibrates its support for political Islamists according to the extent they are perceived as a strategic asset. Doha’s eviction of Egyptian Brotherhood leaders from Qatar in September showed that Doha had calculated that the political costs of their support for the group; in this case, not responding more strongly to Saudi pressure to cease support for the group had become a liability. But despite the dramatic fall of the Brotherhood in Egypt, the group still maintains important pockets of support across the region. Qatar is not likely to abandon the group anytime soon.

Why has Qatar funded terrorists in Syria and Iraq?
Qatar is believed to have directly supported some of the most radical groups fighting in the Syrian war through much of 2013. This may have included Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front. Doha would have adopted this approach in order to advance its foreign policy goal of defeating the Assad regime.

Qatar likely adjusts the level and nature of support for groups like the Nusra Front based on strategic calculations, just like it does in its relationship with the Brotherhood. Late last year, it seems that Doha assessed the political price of backing radical groups in Syria, in defiance of Riyadh (which had just modified its own Syria policy) and Washington, and determined that it was too high.

However, the wealthy state still tolerates private fundraising for Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other radical organizations. In some cases, Doha encourages the private financing of extremist groups by inviting their prominent supporters to speak in Qatar.

By outsourcing its foreign policy to middlemen fundraising for and financing the Syrian opposition, Qatar removes the liability of directly meddling in Syrian affairs, as detailed in a recent investigative report. Allowing local fundraising for groups operating in Syria and Iraq may also help direct Qatari citizen political inclinations outside the country and bolster the government’s so-called Islamist credentials both at home and abroad.

How bad is Qatar's involvement with terrorists?
According to the U.S. Treasury, a number of terrorist financiers have been operating in Qatar. Qatari citizen Abd al Rahman al Nuaymi has served as an interlocutor between Qatari donors and leaders of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI, later renamed ISIS). Nuaymi reportedly oversaw the transfer of two million dollars per month to AQI for a period of time. Nuaymi is also one of several of Qatar-based, Al Qaeda financiers sanctioned by Treasury in recent years.

According to some reporting, U.S. officials believe the largest share of private donations supporting ISIS and Al Qaeda–linked groups now comes from Qatar rather than Saudi Arabia.

There has been support among the royal family for radical Islamist groups, including ISIS’s predecessor network and Al Qaeda. According to The New York Times, one royal family member, Abdul Karim al Thani, operated a safe house for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who eventually established and led AQI, when he was traveling between Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 2000s. Abdul Karim also provided Qatari passports and more than one million dollars to finance Zarqawi’s network.

Another royal family member, Shaykh Abdullah bin Khalid al-Thani, who held top ministerial posts over a period of two decades through mid-2013, sheltered on his farm other al-Qaeda members including Khalid Shaykh Mohammad, and welcomed Osama bin Laden there twice, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Khalid Shaykh Mohammad eventually became the mastermind behind September 11.

What might change Qatar's approach to terrorist support?
For Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—two of America’s strongest counter-terrorist partners in the Gulf—it was the perception that the terrorists posed a real security risk inside their country. Al Qaeda elements have plotted against targets in Qatar, but Doha’s extraordinary financial and political patronage may help deter anti-Qatar planning. As the Qatari government’s security guarantor, Washington more than any other party holds the key to inspiring a different kind of approach.




https://newrepublic.com/article/119705/why-does-qatar-support-known-terrorists

 

Qatar is the country where Obama sent the majority of those released from Gitmo.

And while Qatar officially vocalizes that the differences in the region are not caused by Sunni-Shiite division, there are individuals/factions within Qatar who see a much different vision.

 

A total of FIVE from Gitmo were sent to Qatar.

 

To stop qatar sending money to the rebels and terrorists, there should be a ban on weapons manufacturers from selling weapons to the rebels, and, the weapons they recover from the rebels needs to be back tracked to find out where they came from, and, from serial numbers, who sold them to the terrorists. this will dry up the supply line, no matter how much money they have.

Any weapons they get illegally from defence force bases should be observed for 'missing stock.' each soldier should have a weapon allocated to them, and the serial number recorded as they are used up, of course.

 

I think Qatar will stop because their borders have been closed .. and so has their airspace.

 

Hey Margot, how about Saudi Arabia? Are you saying they don't support terrorists? And then what about us? We're bombing the Syrian army that is fighting the terrorists so as to even out the playing field. Isn't that supporting terrorists? If I recall correctly, when Vladimir Putin gave the names of over 30 countries buying oil from Isis, there was no outcry against them... nor any sanctions.

What do you think of this incident in the game between Australia and Saudi Arabia:

As the Australian team lined up with their arms around each other to pay their respects before the game, the Saudi players could be seen wandering around the pitch, actively refusing to take part and instead jogging and stretching.​

As for the Qatari border being closed, I don't think they care. The first thing Qatar did was to make a desperate call to Vladimir Putin. Russia is sending them food, and Iran is doing so as well. What are they going to do shoot down the Russian planes?



Lord, what fools these mortals be -- William Shakespeare

 

The Saudis don't support terrorists.

"30 countries were buying oil from ISIS".. Putin is not that stupid. Syria was down to 30,000 BPD before the RAF bombed the Omari oil field 2 years ago. What 30 countries? Hahahha.

Al Thani accused Russian hackers of planting fake news about his support for terrorism.

 

One of the most annoying parts about Russia so openly and obviously getting caught hacking is that now everyone uses that argument. While possible, I just hate band wagon memes and how often you see leaders taking part in them

 

The US is the Godfather of terror. Maybe not quite as bad as Israel, but we practice terrorism on a pretty large scale. Whether by drone or indefinite detention with torture, we practice terror.

 

Oh then these satellite pictures of Russians bombing the oil refinery and oil tankers in Raqqa are fakes? Thanks for letting us all know.

 

It's this "us and them" mentality, just because you're an US ally doesn't mean all your interests align perfectly. Russia is an ally ito terrorism, threat ito cyberwarfare. If one can't starting thinking multidimensionally none of this will make sense and worse it will cause unnecessary wars...

 

Russia's Intelligence does exactly that, it collects intelligence so I'm sure they know everything that is going on in the world. They're not stupid though, they know that the foreign policy in the US is not run by a candidate running for office, but by the deep state and the paid lobbyists. It would take years to undo it, and to form a new policy, so why would they prefer one candidate above the other? This is why Putin considers it laughable...

 

Oh then you have the proof? Well then why don't you give it to the FBI, they've been looking for some proof for quite some time now.

 

While I think the true picture of how things work in American politics is somewhere between what you say, and what the MSM likes to present, I like you to remember you own admonition next time the topic of Donald Trump comes up. The guy is a pig and doesn't really run anything except his mouth. Just because he rails against the establishment, while at the same time empowering the most corrupted and least enlightened parts of that establishment, and just because Hillary was indeed the "mainstream establishment" candidate, doesn't make Trump anything to applaud. Even Trump's so-called affection for Putin and Russia is premised ultimately on turning Russia and Putin into the stooge of some of the same corrupted special interests groups -- groups that are responsible for many of the worst excesses and problems that you find in many of the conflicts around the world. This should be something to make our pro Russian posters weary of Trump, and not something to make him attractive to them. Which is also why the attempts to paint Trump a tool of Putin, and blaming Russia for this idiot getting elected in the first place, is also off the mark. There have been clear attempts by certain people around Trump, and certain figures around Putin, to basically enlist Russia (in return for some scrubs) to the same cause and same agenda that is ultimately peddled by the most extreme of the pro Israeli figures and groups. That - and the fact that Trump's businesses were once saved by a good deal of money from mafia figures and pro Israeli type Russian oligarchs who had arisen during the Yeltsin era and the fact that Russia might have liked to help leak embarrassing information about the US and its policies via wikileaks - is pretty much all there is to the Russian story. If America thinks this amounts to "interference" in their elections and political process, they should look in the mirror and see what kind of direct overt and covert interference they habitually exhibit in the political process of countries all around the world.

 

Name the 30 countries that were buying Syrian oil and tell me how much oil Was Syria producing between 2011 and 2016.

 

LOLOL.. Deep State is the conspiracy theory du jour. Do you really think Putin is that stupid?

 

Well THIS article here the Saudis themselves admit to supporting terroism. This article is not fake news heh. This is a rock solid source. I hadn't even researched the author until today. Wowsa credentials for days.

Saudi Admission below:

But over time, the Saudis say, their support for extremism turned on them, metastasizing into a serious threat to the Kingdom and to the West. They had created a monster that had begun to devour them. “We did not own up to it after 9/11 because we feared you would abandon or treat us as the enemy,” the Saudi senior official conceded. “And we were in denial.”

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/saudi-arabia-terrorism-funding-214241

Can you say.. Kapow!

Wow. The author is the former Ambassador to the United Nations, highest ranking Muslim ever in American government. Look at this guys resume and we are supposed to believe the quoted Saudi propaganda? Over him? No sir. Saudis have, do and will fund terrorism whenever it's convenient. Just like the US does.

Article sources credentials :

Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad (Pashto: زلمی خلیلزاد Zalmay Khalīlzād; born March 22, 1951) is a former American diplomat and a counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and president of Gryphon Partners and Khalilzad Associates, an international business consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. He was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush. He has been involved with U.S. policy makers at the White House, State Department and Pentagon since the mid-1980s, and was the highest-ranking Muslim American in the Administration of U.S. President George W. Bush.[1] Khalilzad's previous assignments in the Administration include U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zalmay_Khalilzad

The only reason why this thread was created was because it is pro Saudi propaganda. See The Sauds are trying to force Qatar to do what they want and using extremism as an excuse . So out pops the local Saudi propagandists like a jack in the box to support them on our forums. Zero credibility. Due to knowingly not telling the truth. Often.

I am going to post this article every time I see anyone say the Saudis don't support terror. Every time. The OP is a proven debunked 50 times over Saudi Propagandist.

 

The Saudis supported the US proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan until 1989.... and the blowback has been horrific for them. Your claim is lame and ignorant. In 1994 the Saudis revoked OBL's citizenship and declared Al Qaeda a terrorist organization.

 

Boo hoo hoo! How horrific it has been for the Wahhabi terrorism supporter that is SAUDI ARABIA!! Ah yes Afghanistan! Yes they funded terrorists there too with us the US. Not quite how your narrative tells it however!
They admit to supporting terror since the 60s

Heres some more good justice for you on Afghanistan from the same article

Under their new and unprecedented policy of honesty, the Saudi leadership also explained to me that their support for extremism was a way of resisting the Soviet Union, often in cooperation with the United States, in places like Afghanistan in the 1980s. In this application too, they argued, it proved successful. Later it was deployed against Iranian-supported Shiite movements in the geopolitical competition between the two countries.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/saudi-arabia-terrorism-funding-214241

 

The Saudis have ALWAYS opposed Communism and Socialism. That was the problem with Nasser, the UAR and the Baathists. Didn't you know that?

 

So now that we know Saudi Arabia supports terror. We also know the Sauds are trying to bully Qatar.. Hence this thread was created to support Saudi Arabia.. I think all safe to say right forum friends? Yes.. But why oh why would KSA be so naughty?


" How much is Saudi Arabia to blame for Islamist terrorism? IRAN says entirely."

The opinion piece, titled "Let Us Rid the World of Wahhabism" — a reference to the puritanical strain of Islam incubated in the kingdom — pinned the blame for Islamist terrorism largely on the legacy of Saudi support for extremist groups, as well as the country's financing of orthodox mosques around the world.

"Over the past three decades, Riyadh has spent tens of billions of dollars exporting Wahhabism through thousands of mosques and madrasas across the world," Zarif wrote in the New York Times. "From Asia to Africa, from Europe to the Americas, this theological perversion has wrought havoc."

But wait! I thought IRAN was supposed to be evil? I don't think Iran is anymore evil than any other of those countries in the ME. And if read the first article I posted and this Iranian fella... Why it sure has a ring of truth his statement eh? Indeed Indeed!

Qatar is playing nice with Iran and KSA can't have that! Hence their lies and bullying of Qatar at the moment.. And this thread to support that action created.

I personally think if we look at the mountains of evidence against KSA maybe the US should look again to strengthen our ties with Iran. At the very least don't let them bribe us to attack Iran which they really really want us to do. Provided they give up nuclear weapon goals. Why not? KSA will still be our minion in the ME.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wa...me-for-islamist-terrorism-iran-says-entirely/

 

Of course Iran blames KSA.. They have been stirring up trouble to try and get a foothold on the Arabian Peninsula since 1950. They are pathological. KSA doesn't want the US to attack Iran.. just as they opposed the US invasion of Iraq.

Meanwhile, Qatar is coming around.

 

You just constantly post nonstop, nonsensical, unsubstantiated comments. And then respond with more unsubstantiated nonsense.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-wikileaks-usa-idUSTRE6AP06Z20101129
Saudi king urged U.S. to attack Iran

 

Sure why not? They oppose it by using terrorists to do their dirty work. Admitted by them

Nasser you say? Let's talk about that yes yes let's do.. and Saudia Arabias support of terrorists to destroy them. More good justice for you. Same article :

This time, in the course of meetings with King Salman, Crown Prince Nayef, Deputy Crown Mohammad Bin Salman and several ministers, one top Saudi official admitted to me, “We misled you.” He explained that Saudi support for Islamic extremism started in the early 1960s as a counter to Nasserism—the socialist political ideology that came out of the thinking of Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser—which threatened Saudi Arabia and led to war between the two countries along the Yemen border. This tactic allowed them to successfully contain Nasserism, and the Saudis concluded that Islamism could be a powerful tool with broader utility.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/saudi-arabia-terrorism-funding-214241

 

Its crap from Wikileaks from 2010. I knew King Abdullah. He never urged the US to attack Iran.

Is there some reason that Iran can't sell their oil and mind their own business?