, Columnist
Two Years Later, Qatar Has Shrugged Off Saudi Embargo
The real loser: U.S. efforts to forge a united Arab front against Iran.
The best publicity an embargo can buy.
Photographer: Mohamed Farag/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
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Two years ago today, the tottering edifice known as the Gulf Cooperation Council collapsed in a heap when three of its members—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain—announced an embargo on a fourth, Qatar. The troika, joined by Egypt, claimed to be punishing the rulers in Doha for an array of sins, including their relationships with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Their calculation: An embargo would shake Qatar’s economy and weaken its ruling Al Thani family, forcing them, among other things, to fall in line with the Saudi-led Arab phalanx against Iran.