Qatar and Saudi strengthen links 25, February 2010
Posted by thegulfblog.com in Qatar, Saudi Arabia.Tags: Qatar, Qatar Saudi agreements, Saudi Arabia
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Yes, I realize that this sounds like the typical Gulf newspaper headline. The only real reason that I post this is to inform you good people that Qatar and Saudi have signed various economic, political and media (?) type agreements is to highlight, as I have done before, that it is Crown Prince Tamim of Qatar and the presumed next leader of Saudi Prince Naif that have done the signing. Obviously setting things up nicely for the future, inshallah.
The Gulf blog 
What’s interesting is that this seems to reflect a sea change from the previous “cold war” between the two states. Meeting boycotts, competing “summits”, de-nationalization of tribal groups, etc.
As someone “on the ground” in Qatar, your comments on this change – how low the temperature got in the previous conflict, reasons for change, etc.
There have been a couple of initiatives – not below the radar but on the fringes of the radar scope – a rather large conference between Qatari and Saudi businessmen last week for example – that seem to suggest (at least to me) that beyond the usual “strengthening of relations between two brotherly countries” at the leadership level there may be something deeper going on.
As well as prognosis for the future – as Qatar continues its particular foreign policy. Supping with the Iranian “Great Satan” and apparently with a rather short spoon. That in itself may make an enlightening post. Once I decided to complain to the “authorities” at Qataria about the woefully inadequate selection of Arabic music on the flight. When the longest Umm Kulthum song you’ve got on the playlist is 10 minutes long, you know you’re missing the best. Funny thing was out of three people I spoke to – two were Ajami.