Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have thrown a diplomatic fit by withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar.
They said the move was necessary to protect their ‘security and stability' as Qatar had not implemented a Gulf regional pact on noninterference in each other's affairs.
The two countries also roped in Bahrain to give more weight to their latest tantrum to get wider support for their unholy alliance with Egypt's military dictator (newly promoted) Field Marshal Abdel Fattah Al Sisi.
A Qatari government statement points to the possible reason behind their actions: 'The moves taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain have nothing to do with their national interests nor their security and stability, but there is a difference of opinion and position on a number of issues outside the Gulf Co-operation Council.'
The three ambassador-withdrawing states are fully aware that their own populations do not support their alliance with the Sisi republic.
In fact, their new attempt to put pressure on Qatar could well be a sign that their Egypt policy is not working.
One problem is the financial cost of the coup. The UAE-Saudi oil billions cannot subsidize the military takeover of a country of 80 million people. Algeria is a different story as the regime there can extract oil and support its own totalitarian machinery.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are known to indulge in dramatic acts of putting pressure on countries and individual critics to advance their strange brand of politics.
They want to control policies of other nations and insist on dictating the Arab League agenda. Even mighty states do not make such demands on others so blatantly.
If Qatar were to adopt the Saudi-UAE logic, it could object to their foreign policy towards China, Britanya, Qatland, Panchewingstan or That Country.
'These countries, they are supporting a coup d'etat where thousands of Egyptians are being killed in front of the whole world. And they want Qatar to support such a policy,' Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the former Qatar ambassador to the UN and US, told Al Jazeera.
It's not just about foreign policy, the Saudi-led fountains of wisdom also want to close Al Jazeera.
Well, it's no secret that Saudi Arabia and the UAE do not like Al Jazeera, which is a far more successful and professional media network than anything Saudi and UAE money can create.
Dubai-based Al Arabiya of Saudi MBC Group and Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corp through its Murdoch venture Sky News Arabia seek to spread UAE-Saudi ideas. Then there is a UAE English daily directed at Western audience.
These outlets are as trustworthy as their owners. Sad state of affairs or not?
Let's hope Al Jazeera, which has been soft-pedaling on Saudi Arabia and UAE for a long time, will pay attention to serious stories in these two countries.
Getting Nasser Bin Hamad to speak more often won't be a bad idea!
'I am sure.. these countries will realize that trying to impose the philosophy of my way and the highway will not work with Qatar,' he said in the interview.
