We are 20 months into one of the more consequential political and financial crises in the Middle East. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar over its ties with Iran and alleged support for terrorist groups. Some of these nations – notably Saudi Arabia – then ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territory and barred their own citizens from travelling to or living in Qatar. Along with this, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE have closed their airspace to Qatari aircraft, forcing many flights to use Iranian airspace.
Bringing Qatar back from the cold
Alpesh Patel says the West needs to end the rift between Saudi Arabia and its neighbour
