Russia Has Nothing to Gain by Undermining Qatar

The ubiquitous "Russian hackers" are now accused of providing the spark for a diplomatic fire between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. While the facts in the case remain in the shadows, it's hard to understand why it would be in Russia's interest to undermine Qatar.

According to CNN, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, invited to look into the May 24 hack of Qatar's official news agency, alleged that Russian hackers were involved. It was they who placed on the agency's website a fake story quoting the emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, as boasting of his country's good relations with Iran, Israel and the U.S. despite "the unfavorable orientation of the current American administration." (The story, of course, is gone from the Qatar News Agency site, but pick-ups in the Saudi press are still live).