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THE NEW YORK TIMES January 25, 2018 "Tiny, Wealthy Qatar Goes Its Own Way, and Pays for It" Declan Walsh Qatar, a small wealthy country in the middle east, is now facing crucial financial status. Known to be very wealthy has now faced problems that can’t be solved with money. Being targeted by neighboring countries has not made it any easier, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab of Emirates began an air and sea boycott that has caused tensions to rise. Wealthy Qatar is now facing diplomatic and food crisis. Seen as bullies and rivals to Qatar are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab of Emirates that have always belittled Qatar. Despite the current situation, Qatar has continued to build more futuristic skylines in its capital Doha. The boycott started when both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab of Emirates retreated their ambassadors from Doha which caused a diplomatic crisis in 2014. It took nine months to come to what was seen as peace between these nations. Yet, with no indication, abruptly the tensions spiked once again last year. In September, nations representatives exchanged stinging appellations such as “rabid dog” and remarks, “When I speak, you shut up! between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The boycott has caused the borders between these nations to close. Citizens from Saudi Arabia and the Emirates used to go to Qatar for weekend getaways and now those roads are empty. The boycott has dictated so much that animals weren’t pardoned, 12,000 Qatari camels were evicted for causing a stampede at the border. Qatari citizens aren’t allowed to travel to certain places in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, and Bahrain. Due to the boycott, land and sea trade has been unachievable, leaving fresh food to arrive by planes and causing prices to rise. Travel bans have not only hurt the economy but also families who have been torn apart. This is only a fragment of the issues and crisis that Qatar is facing along with terrorism allegations, fake news, and terrorism supposition This event took place in an Arab country in the middle east. Qatar is located on the Persian Gulf shoreline. This happened in 2017 when countries unexpectedly cut off ties with diplomatic relations due to what they believe is supporting terrorism. Those countries included Saudi Arabia, the United Arab of Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. Qatar wasn’t always wealthy in fact for most of the 20th century it was rather barren and impoverished. Where due to poverty people often went diving for pearls and herded camels as a source of income. In 1940, they discovered the onshore Dunkhan Oil and the joined the Middle East’s oil club. In the 1990’s, technology allowed Qatar to receive tanker ships that exported and liquefied gas. Subsequent to the oil discovery, Qatar has been ranked the number one on the list of the richest nations. It is outstanding at how fast Qatar was able to be rich extremely fast compared to other nations. The average income of $125,000 gives an idea of how wealthy this nation is. They happen to own french castles, Greek Islands, branches of; Georgetown, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon and Texas A&M. Their wealth does not end there but they also own more of London than the Queen and they built an $8 million research hospital. The leaders display their wealth to flaunt their independence to large neighboring countries which causes them to dislike Qatar. It is unsure whether Qatar supports terrorism due to insinuating terrorism but also fighting and supporting women's right that contradicts itself. It is one of the reasons that countries have cut ties with Qatar. I believe that these nations have to come together and talk about their perspective on this crisis. Each nation should be able to share what the country is facing and how this crisis is impacting them. The meetings have had outcomes where nothing is resolved and stays the same. If Qatar, to other nations, seems to be displaying support towards terrorism then they should clearly state it. It causes a misunderstanding between nations when it could easily be stated. If this crisis continues Qatar will additionally be facing an economic crisis. I will comment on Angeli's and Sheyla's blog posts. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-emir-boycott.html
1 Comment
Angeli
1/25/2018 09:59:04 pm
I love how you are shining some light on to this small country. In the situation, it's in I am wondering what are some possible ways it could resolve this issue to make it citizens happy and restore its economy.
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