It cannot have been easy for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE to decide to pull their ambassadors from Qatar. The move is an extremely public display of displeasure – something that the political and social culture in this part of the world dictates is only ever done when all other attempts at dialogue and dispute resolution have failed. Even then, public rebukes are delivered with the deepest reluctance and discomfort. In this case, the matter is made all the more uncomfortable and difficult by the fact that Qatar is a member of the GCC, an organization that has proved itself as a motor for regional collaboration, action and integration in a multitude of areas, and one that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE hold in the highest regard and value. For us, the GCC is as important as the European Union is to its member states. That being so, imagine the reaction if, say, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany were to pull their ambassadors from Greece or Poland. There would be shock. What has happened here in the GCC is of the same level of significance. As part of the rules of the GCC, all members are supposed to have especial loyalties and duties to the others over and above the norms of good neighborliness and those bonds of affection that should tie fellow Muslim states. One of those duties is to ensure the safety and security of other members. Another is not to interfere in the internal affairs of another member state, either directly or indirectly. In a security agreement signed in November, GCC member states agreed that they would not support organizations or individuals that threaten the security and stability of the Arabian Peninsula countries “either through direct security work or by attempting to influence politics.” Publicly Qatar says that it doing this, but the reality is otherwise. In a joint statement on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE said that three months after the security agreement was signed, no action has been taken by Qatar despite “great efforts” by GCC member states to reach out to Doha's leadership to encourage it to fulfill its side of the agreement. This is not the sort of behavior to be expected from a GCC partner. Quite apart from the politically unacceptable fact that Qatar is refusing to adhere to the terms of an agreement that it has signed, there is the equally serious issue that it is pursuing policies wholly at variance with those of its GCC partners – in Egypt, Libya and Syria. As a result we have arrived at this very sad and deeply regrettable point where a pointed public rebuke has had to be made. It must be hoped that the decision to withdraw the ambassadors will send a message to Doha that its relations with its immediate neighbors and natural partners are far more important than trying to cut a major political figure further afield in the region. The bonds that link Qatar to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are deep and real, and need to be treasured and built upon, not ignored in pursuit of ambitions of grandeur on a wider stage.
