Daily Times

When the budding Saudi Defence Minister was recently elevated to the status of the Crown Prince, it was welcomed as a positive move by most global pundits. It was meant to show the world that a major paradigm shift has been brewing in the otherwise very conservative and traditional society.

Analysts saw it as a shift meant to comfort the majority Saudi population which happens to be young and in the range of 30 years or under.

The young Crown Prince has an ambitious vision for his nation which he has termed as “Saudi Vision 2030.” A plan to shift its economy solely from oil to trade and become “business friendly.”

In lay person’s term, establishing a Dubai style hub of trade, tourism and travel. It is commendable that the Crown Prince has great aspirations and with his skills, style and ability, the Kingdom may transform completely.

The question arises if a bigger, better trade hub is created on the template of Dubai, then what implications, would it have on the real Dubai and other Gulf nations? With too many trade hubs in the same region, one can safely assume that competition will be fierce and Saudi Arabia is bound to exert its influence on the smaller Gulf countries.

The recent Riyadh Summit was meant to show the region Saudi Arabia means business and is backed by the United States of America. Through this display of power and the defence contracts with the Trump Administration, the Kingdom is trying to send signals to its adversary, the Islamic Republic of Iran. Just add the recent conflict with neighbouring Qatar in the equation, and you can see the recipe for what is expected ahead.

I am not a huge fan of Middle Eastern politics, because its complexities boggle a simpleton like me. The overlap of interests and who is an ally or an adversary of who is quite confusing.

The Kingdom has built a ‘Muslim NATO’ to fight the scourge of terrorism. Amazingly, it has been engaged in a conflict with neighbouring Yemen, where the civilians have been on the receiving end of Saudi wrath. Saudi claims it has started this war because Yemen is engaged in terrorism.

The chest thumping Pakistani media which highlights the atrocities of Indian aggression in Kashmir has overlooked Yemen completely, because it could possibly offend the “Big Brother.”

It was alarming to see the Kingdom level similar charges of terrorism on Qatar. President Trump chimed in as well, giving his tacit nod to the Saudi claim. It comes as no surprise that the Taliban have had an office in the state of Qatar for many years.

This makes total sense because when international powers want to negotiate with these folks, they must have a neutral place to do so. Taking a clue from the Taliban, Hamas leaders have also found Qatar to be their destination of choice, perhaps to negotiate with the Palestinian Administration, and this is again not an earth-shattering move.

Considering how Syria and Iraq are being held hostage to ISIS, the Israel-Palestine wound is still festering, and now, God forbid, a possible military conflict between Saudi Arabia and Qatar is in the offing — we might well be looking at a major disaster

If the Al Jazeera Network of Qatar beams to the Arab world and shows them a mirror, what seems so offensive to the Saudis and their regional allies? All of these so-called transgressions by Qatar did not start yesterday.

The Russian media has claimed that the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, has been killed in some strike. Terror outfits are not like business enterprises where there is a defined organisational chart.

These organisations and their franchises quickly regroup and reassert their presence in one shape or form. Going by conventional wisdom, the killing of Osama Bin Laden should have shattered Al Qaeda, but the menace of terrorism continues unabated.

Considering how Syria and Iraq are being held hostage to ISIS, the Israel-Palestine wound is still festering, and now, God forbig a possible military conflict between Saudi Arabia and Qatar is in the offing — we might well be looking at a major disaster. Players from all over the world would jump in and add fuel to the fire.

If it escalates and the traditional foes- Iran and Saudi Arabia- go head to head, it will be beyond any one’s control. Call me an alarmist, but it would perhaps be the prelude to the Third World War.

The most gruesome fact that these great warriors tend to overlook in their overly bloated egos is that the poor, helpless and nameless victims are Muslims as well. Islam is the religion of peace which teaches the Muslim to submit to the will of God, demonstrate utmost humility and be kind to mankind.

So much so that you not only greet one another, but even a total stranger with the word, ‘Peace.’ It is this particular ‘piece’ which has been missing from their jigsaw puzzle.

The writer is a Pakistani-US mortgage banker. He can be reached at dasghar@aol.com. TW @dasghar

Published in Daily Times, July 7^th , 2017.