Qatar and state-sponsored terrorism

The first direct reefer (refrigerated) container service between Qatar and Turkey has been launched by a company linked to the Qatari government.        

Marine transport and logistics conglomerate Qatar Navigation (Milaha) said in a statement on Aug. 22 that it had arranged voyages on a route between Qatar's Hamad Port and the Turkish port of İzmir.        

Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah has conditioned the lifting of a blockage imposed on his country by four Arab states before engaging in any dialogue with its neighbors.

"Lifting the siege should precede any dialogue," al-Attiyah said in an interview with Russia Today, excerpts of which was published by Qatar's official news agency on July 25.

The Qatar crisis is no surprise for those who follow the Middle East closely and know enough about this small country's curious rise as a regional player. Many observers of Mideast politics have defined the process of the rise and fall as Qatar as a story of its failed ambitions, but the politics of Qatar is more complex.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis is on a Mideast tour to “continue efforts to strengthen regional security architectures.” While his meetings in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel are likely to attract most of the press coverage, his discussions in Qatar Saturday could be the most consequential.