Over the course of the past week, Washington’s position regarding the standoff between Qatar and the coalition of Arab countries confronting Doha became simultaneously more complicated and clearer. Given the central role the Americans are likely to play in shaping the outcome, they should have also developed a stronger sense of what they are, and are not, likely to accomplish.
Shortly after the crisis developed a few weeks ago, Donald Trump expressed strong support for the Arab coalition and seemed to take credit for the campaign to pressure Doha, which he called “a hard but necessary action”.
He accused Qatar of historically funding terrorism “at a very high level” due to its “extremist ideology”.
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson struck a more nuanced tone, calling on the Arab countries to urgently resolve their differences. While he asked the coalition to “ease the blockade against Qatar”, he also said that Doha “must do more … and more quickly” to end funding and support for terrorism and extremists.
The difference in style and emphasis between the president and the secretary of state was so great that many erroneously concluded that they had contradicted or at least undermined each other. But, in fact, they had essentially called for the same things, demanding that Qatar change its policies and conduct while expecting all other parties to simply return to the previous status quo.
On June 20, however, a state department spokesperson radically reconfigured the way Washington is positioning itself regarding the crisis.
Because “it’s been more than two weeks since the embargo started”, she said, “we are mystified that the Gulf states have not released to the public, nor to the Qataris, the details about the claims that they are making toward Qatar.”
Even more bluntly, she continued “we are left with one simple question: were the actions really about their concerns regarding Qatar’s alleged support for terrorism, or were they about the long simmering grievances between and among the GCC countries?”
Not only did this unusually harsh rhetoric by Washington question the veracity and motives of several of its key allies, it shifted the onus from Qatar to the countries confronting it.
The statement, including its unexpected and jarringly bitter tone, and the contrast it presented with the earlier comments by Mr Trump and Mr Tillerson served as a stark reminder that Washington’s interests in the crisis are both intense and highly complex.
As the Trump and Tillerson statements suggested, many of the primary coalition accusations against Qatar resonate strongly with the key American policy of counter-terrorism, and specifically opposing terrorism financing and the harbouring of radicals.
Yet the crisis, by its very nature, also flies in the face of the American imperative of unity among its Arab and Muslim allies, especially in the Gulf region.
The need for unity was the overarching theme of Mr Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May. And, given that Washington has dispersed its military assets in the Gulf in several different countries, many of which are involved in the present confrontation, if it persists the crisis threatens to pose serious challenges to the American ability to fulfil its strategic objectives. The notion that the isolation of Qatar could go on “for years”, as some Gulf officials have suggested, is unacceptable to Washington.
Given the intensity of the American rebuke, it’s not surprising that the coalition moved quickly to issue its 13 demands for Qatar to resolve the impasse. Yet many of them are strikingly maximalist in both tone and substance, and, presumably, represent an opening gambit rather than a final offer.
Mr Tillerson welcomed news that the demands had been drafted and would be presented to Qatar, but added that he hoped that they would also be “reasonable and actionable”. It remains to be seen whether Washington believes that all 13 items meet that standard.
Moreover, since Doha is almost certain to reject the list as it reportedly now reads, and one item holds that it will only be valid for ten days, while the presentation of the demands fulfils Washington’s request that it be composed and issued, it is unlikely to bring the confrontation to a quick conclusion.
The United States is torn between the twin imperatives of counterterrorism and unity, both of which are important to American calculations and neither of which can be discarded. Washington’s policy will therefore probably seek to split the difference between them by pressing for a speedy resolution to the crisis, but not without securing some meaningful and enforceable concessions from Qatar on support for extremists and radical ideologies.
Whether either side to the intra-Arab confrontation will prove receptive to this likely American approach is another matter entirely.
Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
On Twitter: @ibishblog
Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
Zombieland: Double Tap
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Four out of five stars
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Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
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Director: Eli Roth
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Company%C2%A0profile
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Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Company%20Profile
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Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
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Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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WITHIN%20SAND
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The%20specs
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