United States deploys F-22 stealth jets to a base in Qatar

The US has deployed F-22 stealth jets to Qatar for the first time. The US military says it is building up its forces amid increasing tensions with Iran.

The US announcement

The US Central Command said in an announcement of Friday: "The US Air Force F-22 Raptor arrives at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, June 27, 2019. These aircraft are deployed to Qatar for the first time in order to defend American forces and interests in the US Central Command area of responsibility."

The announcement did not say how many of the planes had been sent. However a photo handout showed five of the F-22s flying over the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar. The appended video says that a dozen F-22s were sent but other sources give varying numbers.

Al Udeid airbase

Al Udeid is one of the most important foreign airbases with US operations throughout the Middle East being launched from the Qatar base. The base has about 11,000 US-led coalition forces and 100 operational planes. The US and Qatar signed a military cooperation agreement after the 1991 Gulf War allowing the US to move to Qatar in 2003 after evacuation of the Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia. About 80 percent of refuelling in the are is done from Al Udeid Qatari officials claim.

Tensions are escalating between Iran and the US

Tensions between the two countries have been escalating ever since President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the P5 + 1 multi-country deal with Iran. After doing so, the US imposed sanctions on Iran and has been trying to force other countries to follow them or face being banned from doing business with the US.

Tensions rose last week as Iran shot down a US drone. The US claims it was over international airspace but Iran said it had been over Iranian territory on a spy mission and had been warned. Earlier there were two series of tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman area that the US blamed on Iran although some countries such as the UAE have not followed suit.

Trump has recently announced new sanctions against the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif. In May the US Air Force deployed several nuclear-capable B52 Stratofortress bombers to the Gulf Area as part of a buildup of military forces including an aircraft carrier task force to the area to ward off a possible Iranian attack on US forces or interests in the area.

Iran wants nuclear treaty to be honoured

Iran has been urging the remaining partners in the nuclear deal, the UK, China, France, Germany and Russia to help circumvent the US sanctions. Under the treaty Iran can sell its oil and is not subject to sanctions. However, EU countries worry about US reactions and threats if they do not follow US sanctions.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Peace talks on Afghanistan in Qatar postponed indefinitely

The Qatari government which is hosting peace talks with the US, Taliban and Afghan representatives announced that the talks are postponed indefinitely as they never even started even though they were scheduled to begin earlier this week.

A big blow to peace efforts

US and Taliban representatives have been working for months to arrange the talks. The Taliban refuse to negotiate with the Afghan government as they consider it a puppet of the United States. This is probably behind the problems as the Afghan government has been a drag on the process. This move may have stopped the process altogether. It certainly has for now as no dates to resume the talks have been set.

The probable cause of the situation

The Afghan government appointed a large 250 member delegation but when they arrived at the airport the government stopped their departure. No reason was given for the action. Some signs are the Afghan president Ghani was annoyed that many of those chosen to attend the talks were not his direct allies. The delegation included many other political factions other than his own and his allies. No doubt without such a selection the Taliban would not have agreed to the talks. A Taliban spokesperson also complained of the size of the delegation. A commentator on the appended video suggests this as part of the cause for the talks not taking place.

Another account of the situation

Another article notes that Sultan Barakat who is director of the Qatar Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies which is sponsoring the talks said the postponement was necessary to build further confidence as to who should participate in the talks.

The talks were scheduled to begin on Friday and were considered a significant step in finding a solution to end the war and for the eventual withdrawal of US troops ending America's longest lasting war.

A senior official claimed that the problem was that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani opposed a list of participants announced by Barakat's organization, a list of 243 people announced by Qatar on Thursday. Ghani has submitted his own list of 250 people which an official said contained many more women. No doubt they along with the others were allies of Ghani. The Taliban will not recognize any officials sent as part of the government except as ordinary Afghans. A Taliban spokesperson questioned the size of the delegation.

It seems clear that Afghan government will sabotage the talks if president Ghani does not get the Afghan representatives he wants to be there. However, if he does it is not clear the Taliban will agree to the talks. Perhaps there will be pressure on Ghani to agree to a compromise as it seems reasonable that groups other than Ghani's allies should represent Afghans at the talks. If all the Afghans are Ghani supporters it is not clear that even if the Taliban accept them that there would be any progress possible. It is clear that a consensus about which Afghans and how many should take part in the talks is needed.

Published earlier in Digital Journal

US expects $40 billion in foreign military sales this fiscal year.

For the fiscal year ending on October 1, 2016, the U.S. is on track to rack up $40 billion in foreign military sales. Exports sales are down from $46.6 billion last year, according to a top Pentagon official.

U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, Joe Rixey, head of the Pentagon Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) provided the statistics at the Farnborough International Airshow, saying: "We're tracking toward $40 billion. We're tracking toward our forecast. " While Rixey admitted that the total still could be different depending on what happens in the fourth quarter, Rixey did not think the Brexit will change U.S. sales to the UK. He cited two large UK purchases from Boeing just recently.

Rixey said global demand for U.S. helicopters and weapons remains strong. Rixey has created over 40 different initiatives to make the approval process quicker and more efficient in response to criticism that there were delays in handling the large number of requests. Industry officials and top U.S. military officials have complained about delays in approval of fighter jet sales to allies in the Gulf and elsewhere. However, Rixey noted that his agency only facilitated sales which first had to be approved by the U.S. State Department, Pentagon, and White House.

Stalled deals include a sale of 36 F-15 jet fighters to Qatar for $4 billion and a $3 billion deal to sell 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to Kuwait. Both are built by Boeing. Rixey explained: "Anything that is in foreign policy review is actually part of the deliberate conversation. When we get stalled there, the system is not broken, but actually acting as intended. We’re having a debate about foreign policy."

Rixey noted that increasing demands cause stress for government agencies charged with evaluating proposals. Rixey said: "It’s not broken but it’s certainly burdened, with $47 billion (in arms sales approvals) in FY15, and we're approaching $40 billion this year. We’ve got to make sure that we get better." The decline this year from last is actually caused in part by the burdened system, according to Rixey. If the stalled Kuwait and Qatar deals had been approved the export total would have been slightly above last year at $47 billion.

The U.S. exports more weapons than any other country and the 2015 level was a record. Worldwide, the U.S. is responsible for 33 percent of military exports. The top recipient of U.S. arms from 2011-2015 was Saudi Arabia, closely followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which has been collecting data since 1968. However, the the largest military aid program, according to a recent report, is to go to Israel. The rest of the top 10 were: Turkey, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, India, Iraq,

The State Department's 2017 budget request includes approximately $5.7 billion for Foreign Military Financing. In the proposed budget, the top five recipients of American foreign military financing will be Israel ($3.1 billion), Egypt ($1.3 billion), with lesser amounts going to Jordan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Other prominent exporters of arms are Russia, China, France and Germany. China is increasing its share of global arms exports rather quickly.

Southern Libya Tuareg and Tebu tribes agree to ceasefire

After a conflict that has lasted over a year, the Tebu and Tuareg tribes that control territory in the south of Libya have signed a ceasefire. Much of the conflict has been in the southern city of Obari.

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The deal was worked out with Qatar acting as mediator and was signed in Doha, Qatar on November 23. There will be an immediate ceasefire and thousands of people displaced during the conflict will be able to return. In July of this year, the battle between the two tribes reached into Sebha or Sabha, the largest city in the south, causing hundreds to flee their homes. An attempt to negotiate a truce in September failed due to violations of the ceasefire. More details are given at the usually pro-HoR Libya Herald. The Herald expresses scepticism about the present ceasefire as well.

The Toubou or Tebu are a group of Berbers. They live primarily in northern Chad, but there are also significant numbers in southern Libya, and some also in Southern Sudan and Niger. The group were discriminated against during the Gadaffi regime and fought with other rebels against him. The Tuareg are also a Berber nomadic group who live mostly in Niger and Mali. They often are in conflict with governments as they seek autonomy. At one time they controlled much of northern Mali. There are a significant number of Tuareg in the south western part of Libya. The group being nomadic, as are the Tebu, they often move from one country to another.

The Tuareg representative, Mustafa Salem, said to an Al-Jazeera reporter:"Signing this deal means the start of the construction and development period, and reconciliation. After 14 months of war, I think all of us are convinced that no one has interest in war.There are fingers of regional powers and competing political orientations and ideologies...it is not a merely tribal conflict."The Tripoli-based General National Congress(GNC) applauded the ceasefire and thanked Qatar in its role as mediator. The GNC saw the agreement as a move towards reconciliation in the whole of southern Libya.

Youssef Cherif, a political analyst based in Tunis, claimed the situation remains fragile:"While the Tripoli government welcomes the news, [on] the other side - the [UN-recognised] Tobruk government and Khalifa Haftar - there is a lot of criticism." Khalifa Haftar is the commander of the armed forces of the internationally-recognized House of Representatives(HoR) based in Tobruk. The GNC has often accused Haftar of fomenting strife in southern Libya to gain control of the area for groups favourable to the HoR and himself.

Saudis talk peace but are preparing an offensive against Houthi rebels

The Saudi coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, some time ago decided that the bombing campaign alone was not sufficient to defeat the Houthis. Special forces and military equipment were sent to bolster local militia in Aden.

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The change in tactics has enabled the coalition and allies in Aden to retake the port of Aden and much of the rest of southern Yemen. However, with the recent buildup of troops have come casualties. Both the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and even Bahrain suffered casualties, with sixty killed in one day recently. One report, puts the total number of coalition troops on the ground at 10,000. Yemeni officials report much lower numbers and from only Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar. Officials claimed there were at least around 2,000. No doubt the presence of so many foreign troops in Yemen may turn even those opposed to the Houthis against their "liberators" especially given the destruction and civilian casualties caused by the bombing campaign.

Egypt has now sent between 150 and 200 troops to join battle in Yemen. Sudan has committed to sending 6,000 troops according to a source close to the Qatari military. Newly arriving Qatari troops are bringing Apache helicopters, armored vehicles, and rocket launchers. One reportputs the number of Qatari troops at 1,000. Troops appear to be massing in the central province of Marib for a march on the capital Sanaa to the north.

Ex-president Saleh has close ties with the tribal leaders in the area. Authorities are trying to determine how the Houthis managed to get coordinates to a weapons depot that they successfully hit in a rocket attack that killed many coalition troops. The tribal leaders are for the present fighting alongside forces loyal to Hadi and the coalition troops but many in the armed forces are loyal to Saleh who up until now has supported the Houthis. Saleh may perhaps be changing sides for the moment but still helping the Houthis on occasion.

Special UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ahmed, announced that the warring parties in Yemen have agreed to take part in peace talks next week. There have never been actual peace talks. The UN has passed a resolution demanding that the Houthis withdraw from all the territories they have seized. In a statement yesterday, Mansour Hadi, the president of the "internationally recognized" government of Yemen now located in Ryadh, Saudi Arabia, said he would attend the talks but that for negotiations to take place the Houthis must pull back from all the areas seized since last year. This would include Sanaa the capital. This is tantamount to a surrender and saves the coalition a bloody fight to regain territory. More than 4,500 people have been killed since the conflict began last March. Many people have been internally displaced while other fled to Djibouti and even Somalia. There is a dire humanitarian crisis with many hungry, depleted medical services and supplies, and diseases spreading. Many of the Arab States see the conflict as a battle with Iran which supports the Houthis.

The situation is more complex than this as the Houthis have support from ex-president Saleh and troops loyal to him and his son. Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula(AQAP) appears to be one of the winners in this battle as it has extended its area of control and alliances with local Sunni leaders. The coalition has not attacked AQAP as long as it has confined its activity to fighting the Houthis but when Hadi was in power the group launched devastating attacks on the government and its military. Another winner will be the southern separatist movement. Their flag can be regularly seen in areas taken from the Houthis and in military convoys. This group will insist on autonomy or even separation of southern Yemen from the north. When Hadi was in power before they often clashed with the armed forces and they reject Hadi's plan to divide Yemen into six federated regions. In this opposition they actually agree with their Houthi opponents. Even should the coalition be successful in retaking the rest of the areas occupied by the Houthi, there is no guarantee of any peace or stable government under a regime headed by Hadi.

Friends of Syria meeting planned in Qatar to choose new Syrian rebel representatives

The U.S. and allies plan a conference on Syria in Qatar next week. Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, claims that the Syrian National Council can no longer be considered the leaders of the opposition. The leaders are the fighters inside the country.

The U.S. is withdrawing support for the Syrian National Council and wants to groom a new leadership that will represent those within Syria fighting on the front lines. At the same time, the U.S. worries about extremists whom Clinton accuses of trying to hijack the revolution. There is a conference to be convened in Qatar next week, where no doubt deals will be made to form a new group of leaders to replace Assad once his regime is overthrown.

After the U.S. election, one can expect more western intervention in Syria. The most immediate move may be be to provide the opposition with higher powered weapons so that they can neutralize Assad's vast air superiority. There is little doubt that arms are already being smuggled into the country with the blessing of the U.S. Indeed the U.S. is supposed to be making sure that the weapons do not fall into the hands of the wrong parties, radical Islamists.

In response to a question about U.S. policy in Syria, Clinton was dismissive of attempts by the UN Special Envoy Lakdar Brahimi to broker a ceasefire and negotiations. She sad that the U.S. could not and would not wait for the UN to broker a peaceful solution. In other words the bloody conflict is destined to continue, with the support of the west. The U.S. and allies will use the rebels as proxies to overthrow the Assad regime and install a regime with leaders hand-picked by countries outside Syria.

Clinton noted that the U.S. had "facilitated the smuggling-out of a few representatives of the Syrian internal opposition" who will consequently appear at the meeting of Friends of Syria in Doha, Qatar. At the same time, Clinton treated the Syrian National Council with almost open contempt.

Only last December she had claimed the group as the “leading and legitimate representative of Syrians seeking a peaceful democratic transition." However, now Clinton maintained that the Syrian opposition could not be made up of representatives who had not been inside Syria for decades, some up to 30 or 40 years. The representatives must be “those who are on the front lines, fighting and dying today to obtain their freedom.” Apparently, it is not Syrians, but those outside, who are to say who their representatives are to be.

However, jihadists may receive support and funding from outside as well and will not just disappear because the west chooses a new set of leaders. The Syrian National Council was not happy about this turn of events either.h-obama-picking-their-leaders/ t=_blank]Zuhair Salem, an exiled spokesperson for the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, said:“These dictates are not acceptable to the Syrian people anymore,." Zuhair's group is a significant portion of the Syrian National Council.

The U.S. also called the exiles "extremists" threatening the rebellion. This is somewhat odd in that most of the fighters are sectarian Sunnis armed and funded probably by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, with the blessing of the U.S. The number of terrorist incidents shows that radical jihadists are an important part of the rebel forces. The fighters within Syria, rather than the exiles, are more likely to be extremists.

Former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford is helping to identify and select new representatives who will be in line with U.S. interests. Clinton told a news conference in Zagreb, Croatia:

“We have recommended names and organizations that we believe should be included in any leadership structure. We’ve made it clear that the SNC can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition. They can be part of a larger opposition, but that opposition must include people from inside Syria and others who have a legitimate voice that needs to be heard.”

The U.S. may wish to have various minority groups within Syria represented in the leadership including the Alawite sect that dominates the Assad regime, Shia Muslims, Kurds, and even Christians. However, the fighters on the ground may not accept any such leadership arrangement.

The SNC has rejected the U.S. plan and has even called its own conference in Doha. There have been reports that at least Turkey and Qatar may still support the SNC. In a similar leadership conference last June in Cairo participants ended up fighting with each other literally. Clinton said: “We also need an opposition that will be on record strongly resisting the efforts by extremists to hijack the Syrian revolution." No doubt many in Qatar and elsewhere will not consider Muslim Brotherhoods members as extremists. Compared to Sunni Salafist groups they are moderates and no doubt they are moderates compared to many of the front line fighters against Assad. The SNC has been recognized as the sole legitimate government of Syria by Libya.

Qatar may be offering bribes for Syrian officials to defect

Qatar allegedly offered over a million U.S. in bribes to the Syrian ambassador to Mauritania if he would defect and support the opposition to the Assad regime.

An Iranian new agency reports that Qatar has allocated 300 million U.S. as bribes for Syrian officials to defect. No doubt many want to defect anyway but the availability of bribes would no doubt increase the numbers defecting. Qatar has been a strong supporter of rebels fighting against the Assad regime. Qatar has called for armed intervention and the arming of rebels. Qatar along with Saudi Arabia are probably already providing arms for the rebels. While Iranian news agencies are no doubt biased in these matters it does not seem improbable that the rich oil sheikdom would offer financial incentives to defectors.
Qatar’s ambassador in Mauritania allegedly offered his Syrian counterpart an advance payment of US$1 million and a monthly salary of $20,000 over 20 years to convince the diplomat to defect and voice support for the opposition. The ambassador Hamad Seed Albni was also offered a permanent residence in the Qatari capital Doha, but refused the proposition according to a Lebanese TV report. The diplomat reportedly called the offer a “blatant interference” in Syria’s affairs .Bashar al-Assad’s government has endured a number of high-profile defections recently. The Syrian ambassador to Iraq defected a month ago and ended up where else but in Qatar.
The newly-appointed Syrian prime minister also defected. He apparently planned the defection from the moment he was appointed. While he traveled first to Jordan, he too is bound for where else but Qatar.
Many defectors are Sunni and no doubt defect because they cannot stand Assad's brutal crackdown on their Sunni brethren. Others may be abandoning what they think is a sinking ship. However others may be enticed to retire from their jobs because Qatar offers them a golden parachute if they retir

Tunisia predicts growth of 4.5 per cent in 2013

The Tunisian Planning and Regional Development Minister predicts GDP growth of 4.5% in 2013. This would be up from the 3.5% growth predicted for 2012.

The Tunisian economy has only gradually recovered from the turmoil during the overthrow of President Ben Ali in January 2011. The slow pace of economic growth has led to many being disappointed with the results of the revolution.
Back in March of this year the government cut its growth forecast from 4.5% to 3.5%. There were declines in tourism and also foreign investment. Tunisian exports are also suffering from the lack of demand from Europe as the debt crisis there continues. In December of 2011 the Tunisian government foresaw growth of 4.5% in 2012.
The moderate Islamists elected to run the country are business friendly but there have been clashes between them and leftist secular opponents.There are also more radical Islamists challenging the moderates. During 2011 the economy actually shrank by 1.8%. The situation is improving considerably in 2012 even though progress is slow and unemployment high.
Tunisia has been helped by Qatar a strong backer of the revolution. Qatar has loaned Tunisia $500 million U.S. The moderate Islamist Ennahda party coalition government has excellent relations with Qatar. Turkey has also extended Tunisia a 500 million dollar line of credit.
Jamel Charbi the Planning and Regional Development Minister claims that the 4.5% growth predicted for next year can be met by boosting consumption and investment as well as consolidating exports. His statement was intended to counter some observers' pessimistic forecasts about the economic future of the country.
Charbi said that 22.7 per cent of GDP would be allocated to public investment next year to help manufacturing and mining to recover. He said this would create 90,000 jobs. The government has managed to keep interest rates low and inflation in check. On the other hand the government has been hit by resignations including that of the finance minister and the governor of the central bank.
Even under Ben Ali Tunisia had the highest GDP per capita in the area. The population of ten million revolted in part because of economic conditions and hence is impatient for better times to come soon. However given the problems in Europe economic growth will probably remain relatively modest at most. Even at that, they are doing much better than many countries in southern Europe.


Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/330024#ixzz22XqhkCh8

U.S. building an anti-missile radar facility in Qatar

 The Wall Street journal reports that the base will be built in a secret location in Qatar. The facility will be just one part of a system meant to defend U.S. facilities and also its Gulf area allies against Iranian rockets according to anonymous U.S. officials.
      This site plus two other sites in Turkey and the Negev Desert form an arc. The three sites together can detect any missiles launched deep inside Iran from northern, southern or western Iran. The radar stations also link to interceptor batteries throughout the region and to U.S. ships that have high altitude interceptor rockets.
     Qatar is home to the largest U.S. military base in the region, All Udeid Air Base. Together with another base a total of 8,000 U.S. troops are in Qatar. In response to an Al Jazeera reporter's question about the site, the Pentagon replied."We have a number of allies and partners in the region with whom we seek to build greater cooperation, and our goal is to address a wide range of US security interests there."   U.S. officials claim the U.S. Central Command intends to deploy a THADD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system within the next few months. For more see this article.

Qatar to put 5 billion U.S. in Chinese Investment Fund

Qatar wants to invest 5 billion in China's Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) scheme. This is the main mode by which foreign investment flows into the Chinese stock and bond market.
No doubt Qatar has plenty of petro dollars seeking somewhere to gain a good return for the country. However Qatar's energy and industry minister said that the income invested will come from sellling liquefied gas to China among other sources.
At present there is a cap of one billion for each investor in the Chinese fund. However, China hopes to raise the cap. There are a total of 37 qualified foreign investors hoping to increase investment by a total of 12.54 billion dollars.
The QFII program was launched in 2003. China has been trying to increase foreign capital inflows into the country. The fund is considering raising the stake that foreign capital can have in a company held in the fund from 20 per cent to 30 per cent. For much more see this article.

CIA helping transfer arms through Turkey to Syrian rebels

The New York Times reports:“The weapons, including automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition and some antitank weapons, are being funneled mostly across the Turkish border by way of a shadowy network of intermediaries including Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood and paid for by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar,” Turkey denies the claims in response.


According to the Times CIA operatives have been in Turkey for several weeks now. Their aim is to aid the flow of weapons but also to see that they do not end up in the hands of Al Qaeda operatives and other terrorist groups. There were reports back in May that the U.S. was planning such an operation.


In May the Washington Post said that rebel fighters“have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, an effort paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the United States.” The exile group the Syrian National Council has claimed that the Turkish army has provided them with anti-tank weapons. They also claim that the U.S. was consulted about these transfers. What in effect is happening is that the U.S. is fighting a proxy war against Assad.


Given that Russia and Iran and perhaps China will arm Assad there will be all out civil war. Perhaps it will spread to Lebanon and now that Syria shot down a Turkish jet more conflict in the area is likely. For more see this article.. As long as the rebels think that the west will provide them with material aid there is no reason for them to give up on their plan for regime change. Western countries too support regime change. Any peace plan seems doomed in that situation.


Joshua Lanids from the University of Oklahoma an expert on Syria wrote:: “Let’s be clear: Washington is pursuing regime change by civil war in Syria. The United States, Europe, and the Gulf states want regime change, so they are starving the regime in Damascus and feeding the opposition.” Another expert Marc Lynch from George Washington University argues that "arming the Syrian opposition, would likely spread the violence and increase the numbers of Syrian dead without increasing the likelihood of regime collapse.” and notes also “fighting groups will rise in political power, while those who have advocated nonviolence or who advance political strategies will be marginalized.”


The best the UN can hope for is to be allowed to provide some humanitarian aid. Given the constellation of forces peace seems off the radar for now. For more see this article.

Qatar's cover up campaign

Activists in Qatar are actually promoting a cover up campaign. It is called the "One of Us" campaign. The campaign is to encourage foreigners living in the country to respect the Qatari culture and dress modestly rather than in styles that reveal considerable flesh as is common in many countries.

Najila Al Mahmoud who leads the campaign wants to educate expatriates about the norms of modesty in Qatar. Both men and women should cover up between shoulders and knees. She claims that during the summer "the scene of exposed flesh increases", She says that Qataris or at least many of them are offended by this and thinks that if people realize this is so they will dress more appropriately.

Most local women wear an abaya, a black garment covering most of the body. The men also wear a garment the kandura that is often ankle length and made of white shades.

Foreign women are divided on the issue some siding with the cover up campaign but others suggesting the women could find better issues to promote. Many people point out that merchants in Qatari malls especially in high end stores do not even stock local clothes or indeed many clothes that would be considered acceptable according to the cover up criteria. In the Dubai Mall there are see through blouses, plunging necklines, and slit skirts that are nearly waist high. Fancy lingerie is quite popular.

Some people have called the cover up campaign hypocritical because Muslims have opposed veil bans in France and Belgium. I do not find that hypocritical. It is not as if they opposed all bans on the manner of dress. What may be hypocritical is that they support covering up but sell and perhaps buy clothes that reveal flesh. The Qataris point out as well that the dress code is not interfering with religious as is the banning of the veil.

So far Qatar has not made it a crime to violate the dress code as is the case in Belgium and France. In that sense Qatar is more liberal than France or Belgium. Of course one may be banned from entering a restaurant if you are not properly dressed but that is common in many countries. For more see this article.

Qatar refuses to return Iraqi vice-president to Iraq to face charges

Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi arrived in Qatar from the KRG the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. He fled to the area in December after the Maliki government issued a warrant for his arrest on charges that he was involved with death squads that targeted Shias.

The Maliki government asked Qatar to send Hashemi back to Iraq to face the charges. The Qatari minister for foreign affairs said:"Diplomatic norms and the post of Hashemi prevent Qatar from doing such a thing," "Mr Hashemi came in his capacity as a vice president and he continues to occupy this post, and has not been sentenced or stripped of his title," Given that Hashemi is accused of running death squads it is rather strange that the Maliki government has not yet stripped him of his vice-presidency! An Iraqi official said that the Qatari decision to host Hashemi was unacceptable.

Hashemi himself disputed Baghdad's position. Hashemi said that he enjoys constitutional immunity and has not been convicted of anything as yet. The same claim of immunity was used by Kurdistan authorities when they refused to turn Hashemi over to Baghdad.

Hashemi has denied his guilt and complains that the charges are politically motivated. Certainly the charges increase the tension between Shia and Sunni groups since the targets of the alleged Hashemi death squads were Shia. Critics complain that Maliki is trying to consolidate his power.

The Maliki government is not only facing resistance from Kurdistan over its moves but now relations with Qatar have gone sour as well. Kurdistan has stopped all exports of oil over a feud with Baghdad over division of oil revenues and contracts signed by Kurdistan with foreign oil companies. For much more see this article.