Qatar can thank Donald Trump for its current woes

The deadline imposed on Qatar to agree to the demands made by the Saudi-led Sunni coalition has passed without Doha caving in. This was to be expected — the main stipulations, among the 13 made, had no chance of being accepted.

The deadline has now been extended by 48 hours and the Kuwaitis are trying to mediate. The Saudis and their cohort meanwhile are threatening more sanctions against Doha and possibly even extending them to countries which continue to trade with Qatar. Qatar may also be expelled from the Gulf Cooperation Council. There is, for the time being, no threat of military action.

To recap: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain accuses Qatar of a variety of charges, including supporting terrorism. In reality there were four issues — the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran, Al Jazeera and the presence of Turkish troops — which were key sources of irritation. The Qataris must, say the Saudis, end all links with the Brotherhood; drastically curtail relations with Iran; shut down the satellite television station and end the military presence in its territory of Turkey, which vies for the leadership of the Sunnis in the Middle East with Riyadh.

So far, the Saudis and the other three states have severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, imposed an economic blockade, stopped Qatari planes from using their airspace and closed off Qatar’s only land link and route for food imports — the border with Saudi Arabia.