Volcanoes Aren’t The Only Way Islands Are Made. So Too Is The Saudi-Qatar Feud

Hawaii’s recent volcanic eruptions from Kilauea aren’t the only way new islands are made. So too is the pressure that’s building between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. As a result, it’s finally erupted into the Saudi Regime moving ahead with a plan to dig a canal that will turn the neighboring Qatari peninsula into an island. Given that people never believe in volcanoes until the lava actually overtakes them, some warn this diplomatic feud between the two Gulf states may even be the next major flashpoint, specifically as the Saudi regime continues to force their political and religious views across the region.

An Eruption In The Making
The plan, which would physically separate Qatar from the Saudi mainland, is the latest fracture between the Saudi Royal Family and Qatar’s prince, Hamad bin Kalifa. So too was the Saudi Regime’s pressure against the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar. Not only did the regime accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism and being too close to Riyadh’s arch enemy, namely Iran, something Doha denies, but the Prince of Qatar has had a tendency to be sympathetic towards the Muslim Brotherhood and Turkey. Consequently, this makes for an eruption that’s just ready to happen.

Another thing that doesn’t settle well with the Saudi Regime was when the prince used his power to guide Arab secular dictatorships towards some kind of Islamic democracy, promoting the more traditionalist, democratic nationalist approach. This created a major hot spot within Saudi’s absolute monarch, as did Qatari’s courage to defy Saudi Arabia to address the project of promoting of a more responsive approach to implementing Islam in today’s modern world. Since Qatar only has a population of 2.5 million as compared to Saudi Arabia’s 32 million, it’s a steep precipice that the tiny kingdom must tread on.

Democratic Leanings Also Conceal Fiery Materials
Qatar moreover finances and hosts thinktanks in Doha where western liberals debate the future of the Arab world with other like minded Arabs. This indeed has angered the Saudi Regime who want to see only their brand of political Islam. It’s also sometimes hard to know exactly what to make of Qatar. On the one hand, the prince acquiesced to the West’s overthrow of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and insurgency against Assad in Syria. However, it remains against the U.S.-backed Saudi war and atrocities in Yemen, fully supporting and funding Iran.

In the meantime, Qatar must be careful to straddle a number of boundaries. Not only does it host the main U.S.-British air base in the region, but U.S.-Saudi ties have strengthened under President Donald Trump. In fact, it’s now known that the main reason former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired by the president was because the more level headed secretary refused to sign-off on a full-fledged Saudi invasion of Qatar.(1) Sitting on top of one of the world’s largest supplies of natural gas in the world, Qatari’s also have good reason to be nervous of their neighbor, one that wants to expand.

Other Volcanic Eruptions
One way the Saudis’ hope to expand into Qatar and beyond is the dawa. This entails financing mosques around the world and providing free study trips to foreign Muslims to study Wahhabism. It’s not the only thing driving the royal families ambition to become a Persian Gulf-Middle Eastern superpower. So too is its quest to manipulate and even control as much oil as possible. This includes isolating Qatar and using food as a weapon of war. Consequently, the tiny kingdom must import almost all of its food products. They also realize that that their large oil deposits would be a major prize for the Saudi Regime.

Above all, Qatar remains the odd man out in the region. Willing to defy Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Empire, however tentative, it’s determine to chart its own course. This includes one that’s similar to the Nonaligned Movement during the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union. What’s more, this may have been the real reason the U.S. had backed the Saudi Regime in its invasion of Qatar. Turning the Qatari peninsula into an island is another way to alienate it even more. It will surely impact Qatar’s worker programs, economy, and its access to the Arabian Peninsula’s mainland.

Volcanic Disruptions
For now, the Saudi Royal Family is waiting “impatiently” for the new details to turn their neighbor into an island. The channel, which is to be 38 miles long and 200 yards wide, will stretch across the kingdom’s border with Qatar. Costing $750 million, the Saudis plan is to use part of the canal as a nuclear waste facility. It should also be known that Qatar’s only land border with the Arabian peninsula still remains closed, and its state-owned airline barred from using its neighbors airspace. Thanks to the Saudi Regime’s pressure, Qatari residents have been expelled from the boycotting countries too.

Whether this latest punitive measure by the Saudi Royal Family against Qatar will erupt into a conflict isn’t known. The political tumulus - underwater pressure pushing the lava flow to the surface - is, however, heating up. It’s also reaching a major boiling point. To be sure, for centuries geopolitics has been synonymous with divide-and-conquer territory, and divide-and-conquer territory. This includes the domination of one’s neighbors and their competitive connectivity. But turning Qatar into an island doesn’t mean it’ll be completely cut. Iran and Turkey will certainly come to the tiny kingdoms aid.

Most Fertile Lands Built By Fire And Volcanoes
If a major war does break out between Qatar and the Saudi Regime, flowing over into the entire region, the only consolation would be to remember that the most fertile lands were built by fire and volcanoes. This, from a geological perspective of course.

Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John’s Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.WN.com. You can read more of Dallas’ writings at www.beverlydarling.com and www.WN.com/dallasdarling.

(1) www.theintercept.com. “Saudi Arabia Planned To Invade Qatar Last Summer. Rex Tillerson’s Efforts To Stop It May Have Cost Him His Job,” by Alex Emmons., August 1, 2018.