Opinions

The Gulf Crisis and the Changing Nature of Political Alliances in the Middle East

The Gulf crisis served as an important lesson for the Middle Eastern regimes. Most countries realized that diversifying their alliances and establishing good relations with reliable partners is crucial.

The Gulf region experienced its most serious crisis during the summer of 2017. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and started a political and economic blockade on a tiny nation of 300.000 citizens. The crisis was a turning point in Gulf politics in terms of reshaping alliance blocs in the Middle East. The most important result of the crisis was the formation of a new strategic alliance led by Turkey and Qatar. Both countries found various motivations to join their efforts in confronting regional challenges.

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