Trump Claims Responsibility for Gulf Crisis

[Dill]

(06-07-2017, 11:11 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Didn't the Qataris pay for the base?

I don't think they believe they are risking the base. I don't believe that any country in the region has sufficient military strength and acumen to take the base. I don't think they are concerned about this at all.

I don't believe the Saudis are capable of successfully invading Qatar, they are having enough trouble in Yemen.

A coalition including Egypt, however, is a different story. But consider this. This is supposedly concerning Qatar "supporting" the Muslim Brotherhood. Is Egypt really going to send troops against another country for this reason when the Muslim Brotherhood is so entrenched in their own country? I don't think so.

Sorry so late getting back to you Zona. I didn't meant to imply another country would come and take the base.

The danger is that the country could fall into economic and social chaos around the base, making it difficult to operate, and making the US presence there politically difficult. Lots of contractors live off base with families. Right now their bags are packed and ready for evacuation.  Qatar would be easy to invade, being so small and flat and ill-defended--except for the US. Unlike Yemen, no place to hide, and a tiny population. No one will invade while the US is there. But Qatar could EASILY become a broken country, a mini Iraq. Then the US would have to police it to keep the base there--troops in downtown Doha, etc. creating more anger. If they leave, then Iran or Saudi Arabia will perform that service, widening the instability.

I don't know if Qatar paid for the base, but even if they did, they do not pay for the all the men and aircraft there. The strategic positioning might be hard to replicate elsewhere.

(06-07-2017, 11:11 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: I'm betting that this chastisement is about economics, not military.

A large part is about this:http://www.mrt.com/news/world/article/Al-Jazeera-a-target-in-Gulf-confrontation-with-11208518.php

The Qatar-based network, one of the most widely seen Arabic channels in the world, had long angered Mideast governments, since at its start it was one the few that presented alternative viewpoints. Critics say it has in past years turned to promoting Islamist movements as a tool of Qatar's foreign policy. The region's rulers see many of these movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood, as threats.

Qatar and the station deny the accusations. Qatar's foreign minister told The Associated Press there was no way the country would silence Al-Jazeera, which says its channels reach 100 countries and 310 million homes worldwide.

"If anyone thinks they are going to impose anything on my internal affairs or my internal issues, this is not going to happen. We are an independent country with our own sovereignty," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. He said the allegations are based on "false and fabricated news."