Accusations Of Treason Are Rife In The Gulf

Sultan Al Quassemi:

extreme reactions [to different opinions] may prove to be a bad omen and even a self-fulfilling prophecy. They reflect the fact that in the Gulf there is no official channel for debate that is tolerant even when the three ‘untouchables’ of God, Country and Leader are off the topic. This also shows that many Gulf citizens are unable to debate topics that are sensitive and polarising without resorting to personalising the matter.

I’m increasingly noticing a dichotomy in the way gulf states approach debate and crisis-management. When the matter at hand is about foreign affairs, they display a remarkable ability for give and take, compromise, patience and creativity. Witness Qatar’s approach to the Lebanese crisis in May, 2008.

But when things involve local, internal issues (Bahrain), We see extreme paranoia and heavy handedness. Maybe it’s because they’re not used to lack of harmony in their midst or perhaps it’s because of the enormous stakes involved, but maybe eventually they’ll get used to a bit of harmless internal discord..