| Abstrakt: |
The prolongation of the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) allies-which saw Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in June 2017-will not only have implications for Qatar, but also for the political and economic landscape of the entire region. In this article, the author takes stock of the energy and geopolitical dimensions of the crisis from both the Saudi and Qatari perspectives. On the Saudi side, swift de-escalation is needed in order to prevent Qatar from drifting further into Iran's sphere of influence and changing the balance of power in the region. For Qatar, the extension of the crisis will adversely affect its exports of LNG in the medium and long-term, and hence will benefit US exports of LNG and Russian pipeline gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
