Sheik Hamim bin Ahmed bin Kalifa al Thani, absolute ruler of Qatar, is no fool. He is a deeply religious Muslim whose country hosts both a strategic US military base and the ultra-conservative Arabian broadcast system Al Jazeera.
Accepted wisdom in U.S. diplomatic circles is that the Middle Eastern monarchies always hedge their bets, and with good reason: we have a Presidential election every four years, and depending upon who is elected as Chief Executive, the wealthy Sheiks may rest easy in their palaces - or not.
Al Thani's family and the uber-powerful Al Sauds of Saudi Arabia have a tangled history with one another, with the al Sauds at one point threatening to blockade Qatar and then turn it into an island state by digging a wide canal across their joint border, over Qatar's open support for Islamic extremism.
Things calmed down a bit, as both countries realized mutual issues with Iran, part of which concerns Qatar's joint ownership with the Iranis of the world's largest natural gas field, from which the smaller state's wealth proceeds. And the plot thickens.
In question is whether, as proclaimed from the White House PR desk, Qatar generously offered to donate an enormous Boeing-built jet for President Trump's personal use as head of state, or whether in fact his staff called the Sheikh to either solicit a personal gift or buy the jet outright.
Either way, the "look" is far from good, to anyone except the Saudis, who may be shadow partners in the deal - or who may feel "trumped" by Qatar's generous display, depending upon with whom one speaks in the Saudi royal family, where the current de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohamed, is far from universally popular.
Still, it is far and away in the best interest of both countries to curry favor with the Americans, and to get along, and the Saudis are long practiced at multi-level activity and as tight allies of the U.S. Qatar's ruling Al Thanis, given their past experience as a vassal state to Riyadh, are keen on this as well, determined to keep a crucial U.S. military base incountry, as balance.
But: one can seldom tell the players in this region without a score card or the latest backstairs tip. Stirring the diplomatic/financial plot, it develops that the Trump-puppet-led U.S. Dept. of Defense has mysteriously re-routed a huge sum of taxpayer dollars for an "undisclosed" secret project.
Problem. The money was earmarked for nuclear defense, at a time when America can ill-afford to hamstring its armaments to satisfy expensive whims of an elderly political oligarch who plans to cruise the world in his new, now getting-rewired palatial plane. And Iran, always under active or covert siege from Israel, is indeed far from disabled in its quest for a prime nuclear bomb to throw at whichever nation is unfriendly to Islamic jihad. This situation remains a looming threat to everyone, and is not going to vanish. Some of the players in this very risky global game of thrones include.........
Direct descendants of legendary Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of modern Saudi Arabia, who number at least 5,000, many of whom work in some capacity for Prince Mohamed (MBS's) government or in the usual semi-covert spy network normal for most extremist countries in and around a long-time global hot spot.
The Saudis, who several years ago were just on the point of recognizing and normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel (an Arab first), had to pull back on this after Hamas, funded in part by rumored Qatari millions, staged their October 7 sneak attack on innocent Israeli celebrators at a music fest held WAAAY too near the Gaza border. Iran, far from unpleased, looked on to watch the carnage, and gloat at having outfoxed overcomplacent Mossad.
Did I mention the uniformed guys in charge at Jerusalem discounted strong reports from women border officers that an attack on Israel was planned? Untactful, but true. In a nation where young women are drafted for military service along with men, incur the same risk as their brothers and serve with bravery and distinction, this was dumb at best, unconscionable at the least.
Now that the American Secretary of Defense proclaims that females are unfit to serve in combat, one must assume this misogynistic kool-aid is still drunk around the world, except in nations like Great Britain, Italy and India, which have had forceful, effective women leaders, dating from quite some time ago.
Considering the known brutality and financial finesse of the Saudi ruler against survivalist piety and gas-powered wealth in Doha, I am tempted to say that anyone who breeds great Arabian horses is a friend of mine.......except for terrorists.......and Iran's pesky determination to have The Bomb.
Trump can invite them to Mar-A-Lago, but the Israelis mean business. Their extreme overkill, producing clear famine and suffering for civilians in Gaza, is not, however, justified. More later - the daily news grows more dire with pictures of suffering children - always the victims in situations like this.
Linda Berry is a Northsider.
