President Biden’s Contradictions On Qatar

pa href=https://www.cato.org/people/jordan-cohen hreflang=undJordan Cohen/a

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p lang=EN-US lang=EN-USMuch has been made about global democracy by President Joe Biden and his administration. Promoting democracy abroad has been anbsp;key pillar of the administration’s foreign policy, best exemplified by the Summit for Democracy, which focused on a href=https://www.state.gov/further-information-the-summit-for-democracy/ rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankthree key themes/a: defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights. These are all commendable initiatives; however vague they may be. It is curious, then, why the Biden Administration recently a href=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/us/politics/biden-qatar-nato.html rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankdesignated Qatar/a as anbsp;Major Non‐​NATO Ally (MNNA). Qatar, anbsp;country ruled by an a href=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/qatar/#government rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankabsolute monarch/a partially based on sharia law, is now slated to become an official military and economic ally of the United States, the self‐​styled defender of global democracy. One does not usually associate Qatar with any of the three key themes espoused by the host of the Summit for Democracy. In fact, Qatar a href=https://pages.eiu.com/rs/753-RIQ-438/images/eiu-democracy-index-2021.pdf rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankranks 114th/a in the Economist Intelligence’s Democracy Index 2021, ranks even worse in Cato’s Human Freedom Index at a href=https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2021-12/human-freedom-index-2021.pdf rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blank128/a, and is decidedly “a href=https://freedomhouse.org/country/qatar/freedom-world/2021 rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blanknot free/a” according to Freedom House. Simply put, Qatar has very little in common with liberal democracy./p

p lang=EN-US lang=EN-USSo why exactly has the Biden Administration, the same administration that touts democracy as paramount to its foreign policy, decided to establish closer ties to anbsp;country that is so clearly at odds with democratic values? The answer is that in Washington, dubious “security interests” will always trump other interests, including global democracy and human rights./p

pWhile it does not guarantee anbsp;security commitment, being an MNNA is not anbsp;distinction without anbsp;difference. Among the a href=https://www.state.gov/major-non-nato-ally-status/ rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankmany benefits/a, the most significant are access to U.S.-owned war reserve stockpiles, eligibility for priority delivery of U.S.-owned a href=https://www.dsca.mil/programs/excess-defense-articles-eda rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankExcess Defense Articles/a, the ability to purchase uranium ammunition, and the ability to bid for non‑U.S. supplied maintenance of U.S. defense articles./p

p lang=EN-US lang=EN-USFrom anbsp;capability perspective, Qatar gaining MNNA status ensures that it will have access to higher quality weapons for lower prices. Qatar, already the a href=https://www.cato.org/study/2021-arms-sales-risk-index#mapping-risk rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blank20th largest/a recipient of U.S. weapons since 2009, will now have even greater access to America’s military technology. This is especially problematic when considering Qatar’s a href=https://atalayar.com/en/content/qatar-reinforces-its-position-houthi-side-yemen-war rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankparticipation/a in the Yemen conflict, a href=https://sgp.fas.org/crs/mideast/R44533.pdf rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankprevious support/a for Hamas and the Taliban, and its a href=https://www.mei.edu/publications/us-iran-qatar-triangle rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankclose ties/a with Iran, Russia, and the Assad regime in Syria – all things in direct conflict with U.S. security interests./p

p lang=EN-US lang=EN-USBeyond the security benefits, there is also anbsp;diplomatic benefit for Qatar. Receiving MNNA status signals that the U.S., at the very least, tolerates Doha’s problematic practices. Among them are the country’s previous support for terrorist organizations and rampant human rights violations in the form of forced labor./p

p lang=EN-US lang=EN-USQatar’s track record of supporting terrorist and terrorist‐​harboring groups includes a href=https://www.mofa.gov.qa/en/speeches/press-statements/press-statements/press-conference-of-his-excellency-minister-of-foreign-affairs-in-paris rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankHamas/a, the a href=https://www.dw.com/en/why-qatar-fosters-close-contact-with-the-taliban/a-59030146 rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankTaliban/a, a href=https://www.counterextremism.com/content/qatar-money-and-terror rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankal‐​Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula/a, and the a href=https://www.counterextremism.com/content/qatar-money-and-terror rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankal‐​Nusra Front in Syria/a. These facts have not deterred the U.S. from sending weapons to Qatar in recent history. In 2012, the Obama Administration authorized secret shipments of weapons to Doha intended to support the NATO mission in Libya. As the war developed, the administration learned that a href=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/world/africa/weapons-sent-to-libyan-rebels-with-us-approval-fell-into-islamist-hands.html rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankthese weapons/a were given to terrorists. Despite that, the U.S. continued to authorize over a href=https://www.cato.org/blog/war-afghanistan-has-not-ended-over-horizon-operations-continue rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blank$10 billion/a in sales to Qatar in the following two years./p

p lang=EN-US lang=EN-USIt is true that there is no historical evidence of these weapons being used in terrorist attacks against the U.S. Yet, this signals that Washington tolerates its partners’ support for organizations that actively fight U.S. interests so long as that partner is willing to line the pockets of U.S. weapons manufacturers./p

p lang=EN-US lang=EN-USThis boost to international recognition is even more problematic when considering Qatar’s record with slavery. While the practice of slavery is technically a href=https://antislaverylaw.ac.uk/country/qatar/ rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankillegal/a in Qatar, practices eerily similar to slavery, including servitude, are not. Indeed, they are practiced quite regularly, especially with foreign nationals. Migrant workers’ passports are a href=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2019/02/reality-check-migrant-workers-rights-with-two-years-to-qatar-2022-world-cup/ rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankreportedly confiscated/a, allowing employers to entirely control anbsp;worker’s ability to stay in and leave the country. They often work 14‐​hour shifts, seven days anbsp;week, and are frequently paid late, if ever at all. While technically not legally endorsed slavery, the practice of trapping workers in anbsp;country and forcing them to work in inhumane conditions is about as close as one can get to it./p

p lang=EN-US lang=EN-USThe consequences of these practices are best demonstrated by the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In December 2010, Qatar was awarded the opportunity to host the tournament – the largest sporting event in the world – a href=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/sports/soccer/qatar-and-russia-bribery-world-cup-fifa.html rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankin scandalous fashion./a As of February 2021, a href=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022 rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blanknearly 7,000/a migrant workers have perished in infrastructure projects for the tournament. Given that anbsp;full year has passed since that statistic has been updated, the number is undoubtedly higher. Making matters worse, prior to President Biden’s designation of Qatar as an MNNA, Washington agreed to support Qatar’s security a href=https://www.state.gov/joint-statement-on-the-u-s-qatar-strategic-dialogue/ rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankprior to and during/a the tournament. Despite all these affronts to global democracy and human rights, the U.S. is doubling down on its relationship with Qatar./p

p lang=EN-US lang=EN-USThe United States’ recent declaration making Qatar anbsp;Major Non‐​NATO Ally is simply confounding. Washington is allowing anbsp;country that supports terrorists and engages in blatant human rights abuses to have access to some of the best U.S.-made weapons available. For anbsp;country that has criticized and opted to a href=https://www.nytimes.com/article/diplomatic-boycott-olympics.html rel=noreferrer noopener target=_blankdiplomatically boycott/a the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the U.S. is contradicting itself and the supposed values of the Biden Administration’s foreign policy./p