Qatar's politics of terror will return to hurt it

The current crisis of confidence and trust is deepening further as the Qatari leadership continues to distort facts to suit its narrative.

Reconciliation can be a dangerous word when it comes to Qatar, which has a forked tongue. Worse, it will play the victim after creating and nourishing a monster - a Frankenstein. When this monster of terror runs amok and threatens to turn on it, it cries wolf, and blames others. It won't seek help, reach out to other GCC countries when the ground is slipping under its feet. The ruling Al Thani family is stubbornly stonewalling all efforts to patch up because it is driven by the terror agenda.
The current crisis of confidence and trust is deepening further as the Qatari leadership continues to distort facts to suit its narrative. They did it before, they are doing it again. Qatar continues to belittle every effort at mediation and proceeds with its propaganda, but no one will buy it. Despite its claims, Qatar has shown signs of moving closer to Iran. It restored full diplomatic relations with the country in August this year and sent its ambassador to Tehran to seek stronger ties with the country. There's more to Qatar's relationship with Iran than just commercial ties that it proclaims, and this will of course complicate its relations with the GCC bloc further.
The 13 demands and six broad principles are still central to normalising ties with the GCC. It is imperative that Doha shuts down Al Jazeera, closes the Turkish military base and downgrades ties with Iran. Despite the acrimony, the four Arab states have maintained a principled stand.
They have stressed in their joint statement that "the military option has not been and will not be considered" under any circumstances. Yet, Qatar has doused the glimmers of hope. It has shot itself in the foot and its people are paying a heavy price for its irrational stance. Doha's stock markets are down, credit rating agencies have downgraded their ratings and foreign investors no longer have a favourable view of the peninsular nation, which was once seen as a bright spot in the Middle East. What was once a safe haven and a progressive emirate, is now in a shambles. Blame the monster of terror politics.