Jackson School of International Studies Affiliate Professor and Baker Institute fellow for the Middle East, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, recently published an article for the Washington Post discussing the implications of President Trump’s recent meeting with Qatari Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani. He writes:
“Today, President Trump is to meet with Qatari Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani in the second step of a planned three-part diplomatic push to resolve a bitter dispute in the Persian Gulf region. The crisis erupted in June 2017 when Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (plus Egypt) severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar.
The U.S.-led reconciliation process had laid out a carefully sequenced set of meetings. Trump was to meet separately with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, in addition to the Qatari emir. U.S. officials hoped these three bilateral meetings would lay the groundwork for gulf leaders to meet in Kuwait at the end of April to settle their differences before a planned summit at Camp David in May.
That plan now lies in tatters.”