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Thursday, July 06, 2017

You have got to be kidding me. What is it saying of the State Department when a career senior bureaucrat now a private sector consultant says of the Qatar situation, " ...

"... 'They're like kids in a tough neighborhood who have too much lunch change in their pocket,' said Kattouf, president of Amideast, which works to foster Americans' understanding of the Middle East."

(link in original) Source: CNBC online, here.

This is an indictment of our nation and of our State Department, not only a blot on the man's political acumen resume.

Now as to impartaility in assessing Qatar being ganged up by neighbors, the man's Amideast site states:

A New Home for AMIDEAST in the UAE
AMIDEAST’s main UAE office has moved to a new home. The large, modern quarters in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s commercial quarters will allow it to serve an increasing number of students and professionals looking to AMIDEAST for a range of educational,...

His money's in the Emirates; what's the point of using a shill from one side? Delivery of quality news? Something else?

The Peninsula's July 5 reporting. Reuters. Politico says Trump phoned Sisi. (Angry Arab said it as commentary.)

Bloomberg, a "gas" attack more serious than anything alleged to have happened in Syria in alleged circumstances or alleged as about to happen in Syria. NewsX, similar theme.

Homepage of The Peninsula. Ditto, Aljazerra (both the English language version which might differ from Arabic for the Arab/Muslim audience worldwide).

It seems to be a putsch to silence Aljazeera and to force a modification of Qatar's policy toward the Muslim Brotherhood, and one wonders if Rudy Giuliani has any opinion. He seems a natural for the US press to hear out.

(Wikipedia Kattouf bio post. "Lunch-money" Kattouf, we might call him, and what does that opening analogy of his say of his respect for the level of understanding of his press inquirers, or the public?)

UPDATE: First, the guess is the outlet's properly spelled name is Al Jazeera, not Aljazeera, but spelled the first way it looks like somebody's name. Aside from that, looking here and here, is there any guess about what the neighbors are touchy about; (Al, how can you say such things), and whether escalation might top capitulation for Qataris? Last, is this everybody's-high-school-canard for the Qatari dispute, or for Trump?