Saudi Arabia's Embargo of Qatar Is a Big Fat Zero - Bloomberg:
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.
The embargo has conspicuously failed. Powered by some of the world’s largest reserves of natural gas, the Qatari economy quickly shook off the straitjacket, even earning a word of praise from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. By holding out against external pressure, the Al Thanis have grown, if anything, stronger: Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani enjoys the status of a resistance hero, complete with a Che-like iconic image—dubbed “Tamim the Glorious”—that is plastered all over Doha.
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