QATAR - The Qatari government has become a central player in American diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. It has served as a key intermediary in negotiations between the US and Hamas during the Gaza War.
Qatar also has ties with Iran – which American officials see as both an opportunity for back-channel communications with Tehran and a cause for concern. And in 2020 the Qatari government brokered the agreement between the first Trump administration and the Taliban, setting up the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. The president’s decision to visit Doha could be viewed as an acknowledgement of the pivotal role Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani serves for the US. But, as often is the case with Trump, there’s more to it than that. Trump's business empire has its own personal dealings with Qatar, including recently announced plans for a luxury golf resort north of Doha. Trump’s pick as his attorney general, Pam Bondi, was a registered foreign lobbyist for the Qatari government.
And then there are the recent reports of negotiations over a proposed Qatari "gift" to the US of a $400m (£303m) luxury plane that Trump could use as his Air Force One transport – raising a host of legal, ethical and security concerns. It all makes for an abundance of potentially explosive issues and entanglements packed into Trump's one-night stop in this small, but incredibly wealthy, Arab nation. (BBC)
