to wonder how the situation with Qatar is going to affect the world?

[MycatsaPirate]

Six nations have severed ties with Qatar and put in a total block on travel and imports.

I have read a bit this morning but the only thing which I have understood is that Qatar imports 90% of it's food and that there will be a huge food shortage in the country before long and that everyone is panic buying.

I am utterly confused over the whole situation but do understand that Qatar is alleged to have been funding ISIS and other terrorist groups and harboring those suspected of terrorist activitites.

Anyone who is a bit more clued up on middle east politics and dynamics can you please explain it to me?

Seconding the request for information and informed opinion.

This is news to me as I've not read any news articles recently so I'm following with interest

Glad it's not just me. I'd like it explained in basic language too. I am really interested in politics but don't always 'get it'.

This is the absolute basics.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-40168856

My bil lives in qatar and sil in dubai. Think we're skyping them both tonight, interested to see what they have to say about the situation.

Is your BIL a Qatar national or from elsewhere? I think all foreign nationals are being forced to leave?

Didn't see this thread before starting one, there is a good break down of the situation here;

www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/qatar-diplomatic-crisis-latest-updates-170605105550769.html

Ok I've read the Al Jazeera link.

What I don't understand.

I have been on Twitter, and there is a general consensus that Trump's visit to Saudi where he demanded/requested that these countries root out terrorists has been the catalyst for this.

Yet the US has a massive air base in Qatar which they have no plans to change. They use this base to bomb Afghanistan, Syria etc.

So USA is still in Qatar yet the other six countries say that Qatar is the root cause of terrorism with the funding etc.

I am utterly confused.

I'm hoping they are not sending non-Quatari nationals home (ex-husband working there) do you have a link to info? Thanks.

This will impact on the World Cup as its foreign nationals building the stadiums

little At the moment I'm not sure if they are being asked to leave. However there is going to be a huge food shortage very soon as the only country willing to export to Qatar is Iran and I am unsure if ships going into that region will be blocked by the UAE.

It's all a bloody mess.

I guess we will have to hope there is a swift diplomatic intervention. I doubt they have much in the way of stockpiled food / water etc. Argh!

Only the nationals of some of the 6 countries that have broken diplomatic ties have been asked to leave. Although if food shortages/ cost of living rises happen expats may be forced to/choose to

Iran are still sending food but whether the ships can dock I don't know. I am struggling to make sense of the whole complicated situation.

i just wonder how this will impact on the whole world if this isn't resolved any time soon.

We could have rising oil costs, another humanitarian crisis (in Qatar), high tensions and more wars breaking out.

With the US having an air base in Qatar, how will that impact the US/Saudi relationship? Or will they both just ignore that fact because the arms deal trade between them is too valuable to risk?

mycats bil is british, has been there for work for 2 years or so. Him and his dp not long ago got married, in part so she wouldn't have visa issues.

Guess we'll be scratching that off the holiday visiting family destinations.

I'm not sure how many airlines are boycotting. Certainly all the middle east airlines but no idea if it will affect flights to and from the UK.

Although if this continues you'll have to go and take him food parcels. No idea what the situation is with fresh water over there but certainly the photos I've seen have been of trolley's full of bottled water being bought up in shops.

Let us know what your BIL says when you get to speak to him. Hope he is ok.

Marking place. I was wondering this too. I don't know the back story either.

Having spent yesterday changing flights, the only issue with UK flights is the narrow corridor the planes can use to get from Qatar to Europe. There are no cancellations. The "only" flight restrictions are flights from/to Qatar from the countries who are ignoring Qatar. And the different routes they will need to fly.

Not in Qatar. We drink bottled water. But if tap water was available and no bottled water we would drink boiled tap water. I hope the food sorts soon.

I live in Qatar. Here's an answer to some of your questions:

1. Qatar imports from many countries and it's not just Iran that are left. More produce has been arriving from Turkey and Jordan over the last few days. We also important from UK/ Europe.
2. Qatar has about 12months of produce and water stockpiled.
3. Tap water is drinkable here but most choose to drink bottled water.
4. Ships/ planes with food supplies are able to come to Qatar as long as they travel through Qatari air and sea.
5. No airlines are boycotting. The governments of some of the six have said they won't be flying to or from Qatar and won't be allowing Qatar airways into their airspace. So these routes have been temporarily lost.
6. Doubt it will have much impact on the World Cup. The majority of labourers are from Bangladesh/ India/ Bengal.
7. They will not be sending all non-qataris home. If they did this there would be no one left in Qatar. It's something like 85% of the population are not Qatari.

Any thing else??

Of course, Trump is tweeting unhelpfully, seeming to claim that this was all his idea - and forgetting there are apparently 10,000 US troops based there.

oleg Thank you, that's really helpful. I'm astonished at how little information is out there about this and it seems so very alarmist reading what is available.

I am interested in this because I nearly moved to Qatar last year for DH's job - the deal fell through. Wondering what would have happened to us if we'd gone!