Qatar: Out in the cold

The GCC faces an unprecedented crisis as three member states politically and economically ostracise Doha

It doesn't get much worse than this. What began as a media war of words has escalated into the most serious diplomatic spat the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has witnessed since its creation in 1981. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have not only cut diplomatic relations with Qatar, but they've also shut down all transport links with it and banned their citizens from going there. These are the harshest measures that can be imposed on a neighbouring country—short of military intervention. The anti-Qatar move is being led by Saudi Arabia which has long accused the Doha leadership of wrecking Gulf unity by backing the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic groups, and mai