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Undated: Qatar is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Whether the sovereign state should be regarded as a constitutional or an absolute monarchy is disputed.[12][13][14][15][16][17] Its sole land border is with neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. An arm of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby Bahrain.
In early 2017, Qatar's total population was 2.6 million: 313,000 Qatari citizens and 2.3 million expatriates.[18] Islam is the official religion of Qatar.[19] The country has the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar is classified by the UN as a country of very high human development and is widely regarded as the most advanced Arab state for human development.[20] Qatar is a high-income economy, backed by the world's third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves.[21]
Qatar has been ruled by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed a treaty with the British in 1868 that recognised its separate status. Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in the early 20th century until gaining independence in 1971. In 2003, the constitution was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum, with almost 98% in favour.[22][23] In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as a significant power in the Arab world both through its globally expanding media group, Al Jazeera Media Network, and reportedly supporting several rebel groups financially during the Arab Spring.[24][25][26] For its size, Qatar wields disproportionate influence in the world, and has been identified as a middle power.[27][28] Qatar is currently the subject of a diplomatic and economic embargo by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt, which began in June 2017. Saudi Arabia has also proposed the construction of the Salwa Canal, which would run along the Saudi-Qatar border, effectively turning Qatar into an island.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar
Undated: Trump’s Conflicts of Interest in Qatar President Trump’s views of countries with Muslim majorities are very clearly split by where he has business interests and where he doesn’t. Because of his friendship with a senior Qatari business leader and interest in pursuing deals in that country, Trump may be taking a soft line on Qatar.
https://www.americanprogress.org/series/trumps-conflicts-of-interest/view/
-- 2016 --
May 4: Trump set to benefit as Qatar buys $6.5m apartment in New York tower
The acquisition in Trump World Tower came soon after a lawsuit that tried to stop president benefiting from such deals was dismissed
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/04/trump-qatar-buys-apartment-new-york-tower
-- 2017 --
June 6: Donald Trump tweets support for blockade imposed on Qatar
President’s claim that Qatar funds terrorism will shock state that sees itself as key US ally, as Gulf neighbours cut off trade and diplomatic links
Donald Trump has appeared to take credit for the diplomatic and economic blockade imposed on Qatar by its neighbours in the worst crisis to hit the Gulf states in 30 years, saying evidence pointed to the state funding terrorism.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/06/qatar-panic-buying-as-shoppers-stockpile-food-due-to-saudi-blockade
June 7: Qatar: What caused the crisis and how is Donald Trump involved?
Saudi Arabia and fellow Arab powers Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have severed their diplomatic ties with Qatar and cut off access for trucks, ships and planes.
Qataris in those countries have been given just two weeks to leave.
The accusation is Qatar has been sponsoring terrorist organisations, but it strongly denies that.
It's all playing out against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia's rivalry with Qatar for influence, and the former's increasingly close relationship with the United States — and specifically, President Donald Trump.
Is there any evidence Qatar has been supporting extremism?
Yes.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-07/what-caused-the-qatar-crisis-and-how-is-donald-trump-involved/8594742
June 9: Trump just slammed US ally Qatar an hour after his administration defended it
The president seems to be willing to throw Qatar — and the credibility of his diplomats — under the bus.
https://www.vox.com/world/2017/6/9/15772182/trump-qatar-tillerson-terrorism
June 9: In An Afternoon, Trump And Tillerson Appear To Contradict Each Other On Qatar
As Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tries to heal a deep rift among Arab partners, President Trump seems to be upping the ante. Trump says he consulted with Saudi Arabia and others on a recent trip to Riyadh and decided to call out Qatar for its "very high level" of terror financing.
Tillerson told reporters at the State Department shortly before Trump spoke that this blockade is hindering the U.S.-led military campaign against ISIS, creating hardships for the people of Qatar and "impairing U.S. and other international business activities in the region."
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/06/09/532294710/in-an-afternoon-trump-and-tillerson-appear-to-contradict-each-other-on-qatar
July 12: Trump’s crusade against Qatar isn’t about terrorism – it’s revenge for a failed business deal
Was Qatar singled out for punishment because it cosies up to Iran and is the world’s biggest supporter of terrorism? Or was it because it failed to back The Family?
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-kushner-qatar-saudi-arabia-failed-business-deal-a7836771.html
November 4: This June, five Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, severed all diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. A small Arab Gulf state, Qatar is incredibly wealthy due to its location near several major petroleum deposits, possessing the world’s second highest GDP per capita. Not only did these Arab countries withdraw all diplomats and ambassadors from Qatar, but they also enacted economic sanctions due to Qatar’s alleged funding of Sunni extremist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
This is not the first time that Qatar’s neighbors have threatened diplomatic sanctions—in 2014, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and Bahrain withdrew ambassadors from the country. However, one factor distinguishes this new incident from previous sanctions—this time, the sanctions have the support of America’s president, Donald Trump.
http://harvardpolitics.com/world/trump-in-the-middle-east-what-we-can-learn-from-the-qatar-crisis/
-- 2018 --
March 2: Qatar Refused to Invest in Kushner’s Firm. Weeks Later, Jared Backed a Blockade of Qatar.
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/03/weeks-before-blockade-qatar-denied-money-to-kushners-firm.html
April 10: Trump Now Sees Qatar as an Ally Against Terrorism
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/world/middleeast/trump-qatar-terrorism.html
April 25: Qatar-Saudi Spat Aggravated by Trump Remark
The ongoing spat between Qatar, and Saudi Arabia and its allies Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt, blew into the open again Wednesday after comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that unspecified Gulf states "wouldn't last a week" without U.S. protection.
https://www.voanews.com/a/qatar-saudi-quarrel-aggravated-by-president-trump-s-remark/4364483.html
May 16: Trump's personal attorney solicited $1 million from government of Qatar
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-michael-cohen-qatar-government-20180516-story.html
May 18: Qatar may save Trump’s son-in-law from bankruptcy
Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has been desperately seeking for someone to bail his family out from a poor real estate investment which threatens to wipe out their fortune. Their rescue, according to the New York Times, is coming in the shape of deal with none other than a company linked to Qatar.
The company controlled by White House adviser Kushner is said to be close to receiving a bailout by a company with financial ties to the government of Qatar, according to executives briefed on the deal. The paper’s report revealed that Charles Kushner, Jared’s father and head of Kushner Companies, is in advanced talks with Brookfield Asset Management over a partnership to take control of the 41-story tower in Midtown Manhattan.
The father and son team believed that they had bought a real estate trophy but since purchasing the building 11 years ago for a record-setting $1.8 billion, they have struggled to regenerate enough rent to cover the enormous mortgage on their investment. The building today is said to only generate about half its annual mortgage payment, and 30 per cent of the 41-story tower is vacant.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180518-qatar-may-save-trumps-son-in-law-from-bankruptcy/
June 4: Saudi Arabia's standoff with Qatar continues -- and Donald Trump has made it worse
Trump may have thought that by siding against Qatar he was building influence and promoting US national security policy interests in the Middle East. He was wrong; instead, his approach to the crisis has only left the US more open to exploitation by foreign interests including the very Gulf actors he considers his friends.
Trump attempted to set the policy on the move against Qatar and all but declare it a terrorist state. This signalled a view radically at odds with his own Department of Defence and the State Department, both of which consider Qatar an essential ally Qatar, for example, is the leading regional security host for the US air forces.
https://theconversation.com/saudi-arabias-standoff-with-qatar-continues-and-donald-trump-has-made-it-worse-96953
June 5: How Trump changed his tune on Saudi Arabia and Qatar
https://spectator.us/how-trump-changed-his-tune-on-saudi-arabia-and-qatar/
July 3: New York's Plaza Hotel, formerly owned by Trump, now belongs to Qatar
https://www.axios.com/qatar-agrees-to-600-million-deal-for-historic-plaza-hotel-trump-7d0d5130-9561-4a91-86e5-03d3e593ab61.html
July 9: How Qatar Is Warming Ties With Both Trump and Iran - at the Same Time
Several Qatari lobbyists said the aggressive strategy, which has cost the small OPEC member tens of millions of dollars, has been about reaching people close to Trump as well as lobbying on Capitol Hill
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/how-qatar-is-warming-ties-with-both-trump-and-iran-at-the-same-time-1.6247714
August 1: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates planned to launch a military operation against Qatar at the beginning of a diplomatic crisis that erupted in June last year but were stopped by former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in an act that may have played a key role in his dismissal.
According to the investigative news website The Intercept, the plan involved Saudi ground troops crossing the land border into Qatar, and with military support from the UAE, advancing 100km inland and seizing the Qatari capital.
Based on information it said it received from a current member of the US intelligence community and two former Department of State officials, The Intercept said the coup, which was largely devised by Saudi Arabia and the UAE's crown princes, "was likely some weeks away from being implemented".
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/rex-tillerson-stopped-saudi-uae-attacking-qatar-180801125651449.html
August 9: Qatari Investor Embroiled in Trump Scandal Holds Top Government Post, Court Filing Says
Was Ahmed Al-Rumaihi courting Trump associates as part of a government-sponsored influence campaign?
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/08/qatari-investor-embroiled-in-trump-scandal-holds-top-government-post-court-filing-says/
August 15: Trump Will Regret Changing His Mind About Qatar
The United States has the leverage needed to prevent Qatar from cozying up to Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood—if it’s willing to use it.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/15/trump-will-regret-changing-his-mind-about-qatar/
August 29: The New Lobbying: Qatar Targeted 250 Trump ‘Influencers’ to Change U.S. Policy
Blockaded by Mideast neighbors, the emirate deployed an unconventional lobbying campaign to win over an unconventional U.S. president
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-lobbying-qatar-targeted-250-trump-influencers-to-change-u-s-policy-1535554647
September 10: Tiny Qatar plays a big, complicated role in Trump's world
The tiny, oil-rich nation of Qatar plays an oversized role in the world’s affairs — and also has had a surprisingly big and complicated part in the world of President Donald Trump.
Trump accused Qatar — which hosts a key American military base — of being “a funder of terrorism at a very highlevel,” only months after the country dropped more than $6 million for an apartment in a Trump-owned building.
Also eyebrow-raising are a number of interactions involving Qatar and major players in Trump’s orbit, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, former personal lawyer Michael Cohen and top Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/10/qatar-plays-a-big-complicated-role-in-trump-world.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/10/qatar-plays-a-big-complicated-role-in-trump-world.html
December 3: Qatar to withdraw from OPEC
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/msn/qatar-to-withdraw-from-opec/vp-BBQpCaV
December 18: Tension Over Qatar Stalls Trump’s Mideast Agenda
The first step toward any progress for the U.S. would be to resolve the conflict between its allies.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-12-18/tension-over-qatar-stalls-trump-s-mideast-agenda
December 21: A former top fundraiser for U.S. President Donald Trump suffered another legal setback on Friday in his efforts to pin the blame on Qatar for a hack of his emails, as a judge tossed his lawsuit against a veteran United Nations diplomat.
Elliott Broidy, a businessman who held senior finance posts in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and his inaugural committee, sued Jamal Benomar in July, claiming he orchestrated the dissemination of hacked emails to media outlets.
Benomar, a British citizen born in Morocco and a former U.N. special envoy for Yemen, had denied involvement and sought to get the lawsuit thrown out by asserting diplomatic immunity, a status confirmed by the Trump administration last month.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-broidy/trump-fundraiser-broidy-hit-with-another-setback-in-qatar-lawsuit-idUSKCN1OK2EA
-- 2019 --
January 8: Retired general picked by Trump admin to resolve Qatar dispute resigns
Retired Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni, who was picked by the Trump administration as a special envoy to resolve ongoing disputes in Qatar, has resigned.
Zinni resigned from his post at the State Department Monday due to the fact that he could not find a solution to the issues surrounding Qatar "because of the unwillingness of the regional leaders to agree to a viable mediation effort that we offered to conduct or assist in implementing," he told CBS News.
Regarding the situation in Qatar, Zinni told Task & Purpose he "just could not get the parties out there to engage in some sort of mediation process that we offered, and I felt that I couldn't do it much further."
Special envoy to ISIS Brett McGurk also left his post at the State Department following President Trump's announcement that he would be pulling U.S. troops from Syria.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/424345-retired-general-picked-by-trump-admin-to-resolve-qatar-dispute-resigns
February 23: Qatar hired ex-Trump campaign staffer as D.C. lobbyist
Stuart Jolly is the latest figure in Trump’s orbit to profit from an intense Gulf State struggle to win influence in Washington.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/23/qatar-stuart-jolly-trump-campaign-1182279
March 3: US-Taliban negotiations in Qatar enter fifth day
The two sides resumed talks this week after making significant progress in an earlier round of discussions in January.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/taliban-negotiations-qatar-enter-day-190303090127706.html
-- 2020 --
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