Providing Al Udeid Air Base to the U.S. military, Qatar does offer some support to U.S. national security. Unfortunately, Qatar also pursues two highly destructive policies towards the U.S.
First, Qatar’s increased economic dealings with Iran support the latter nation’s destabilizing activities across the Middle East.
Second, Qatari leaders regard gifts of hard cash — and lots of it — as a legitimate means of dealing with Salafi jihadist groups like al Qaeda and the Islamic State. And while Qatari officials turn a blind eye to their activities, private financiers continue to provide vast sums to individuals who are determined to kill Americans and attack our allies.
Trump must alter Qatar’s strategy so that the Sunni kingdom challenges terrorist organizations instead of paying them off.
Don’t think that’s necessary? Then consider the Washington Post’s reporting on Saturday, which indicates Qatar paid “at least $275 million” to free 25 Qatari nationals who had been kidnapped by an Iranian-led militia in southern Iraq. That money then went into the coffers of terrorist organizations such as the Kata’ib Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
And while that the Post’s reporting is built on sourcing from Qatar’s enemy, the United Arab Emirates, there’s no question that Qatar’s ruling Thani family takes too lenient an approach towards dealing with terrorists. It’s not just that Qatar funds these organizations with feudal ransom payments, it’s that Doha’s leaders do so without any regrets.
Indeed, Qatari officials are even happy to ignore terrorist fundraisers for groups like ISIS.
Ultimately, all of this only reflects the broader rot in Qatari political culture: benefiting from vast natural gas reserves and relying on extremist ideologues for political consolidation, the Thanis have little interest in the reforms underway elsewhere in the region. Instead, they seem content to continue on their present course, buying political influence with powerful individuals.
