Is Qatar an Arsonist or Firefighter?

"There's no earthly reason why this should be a major non-NATO US ally, as long as they are supporting these terror groups on their soil."

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Qatar hosts a major U.S. air base, but its patronage of radical Islamist terror groups has some Americans questioning the alliance. Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins Jamie to explain.

The Agenda:
—Introduction to Qatar
—Various actors and terrorist organizations in Qatar
—Qatar’s financial influence in Washington
—Al Jazeera’s relationship with Qatar
—Responding to Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s comments on Qatar

Show Notes:
—Jonathan for The Jerusalem Post: Qatar: ‘The arsonist who then claims to be the firefighter’

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Comments (15)
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  1. Tmbaer

    I believe it's called "gutter" , or maybe I've been listening to too much J Pod

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    Ben Connelly

    Glad TD has a good relationship with FDD. Schanzer is right that the war on terror never ended. In all likelihood, it will continue long after we are dead.

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  3. Steve C

    Very much enjoyed this interview. Found it to be informative, since I've never paid much attention to Qatar. Maybe we like the idea of the various terrorist organizations having offices in one location - easier to eavesdrop?

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    Cgoldb

    This interview reminded me of folks who criticize the use of witnesses with criminal backgrounds against organized crime. Of course they are bad people - how else would they know what went on? Similarly, Qatar may do things the U.S. doesn’t like - how else could they be valuable to us as a back channel? Seems to me their hosting of our base, which the interviewee does not seem to think is of particular value, is demonstration enough of their bona fides…

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    George.Skinner

    The only reason that America has much interest in the Arabian Gulf region is that it's a strategic source of energy for much of the world, including American allies and economic partners. Since oil and gas are fungible, globally-traded resources, any supply shock in the Gulf hurts everywhere. Strategically, this points to why it's important to transition to different energy sources like nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal. Get America and other liberal democracies off their oil dependence, and the nations around the Arabian Gulf lose relevance, influence, and their wealth. For now, Dan Crenshaw's description of the issue defines the reality of the situation: it's a relationship of convenience.

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  6. Pohl

    I’m not sure so much tendentious reasoning can be called an “explainer.” And every time TD cites someone from FDD, you can rest assured you’re about to hear some bellicose opinion. There shouldn’t need to be a fact-checker in tow for an actual explainer.

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    Anne W (Raw5254)

    Mike Warren, I’m not sure how TD ended up hiring you, but I’m impressed!! You’ve had quite a few very worthwhile and interesting podcasts. I like the variety of people you interview (even when I’m not particularly fond of them), and especially enjoyed this one. I had no idea that Qatar had that much money, and that WE have been so willing to indulge them, apparently because of it. (I’m sure I’m in the minority here, but I can only keep up with so much!)

    Money really does “talk.” I can see how easily these bad players get into our country, and influence how we do business with them. I’m also extremely suspicious of who exactly is in charge of these campus protests.

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    Todd T

    He started out tame but went full on Qatar bashing. Love it!

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    Rdbarris

    Very unconvincing arguments from Schanzer, especially about Qatari money being the decisive factor. (Because they kept the subway running during the Stanley Cup run? Really?) The quote from Crenshaw is spot on: this is just the Middle East. It's also crystal clear the leverage the Qataris have with the US: it's the base, which Schanzer doesn't realize is obviously impossible to replicate. If Schanzer's claim is correct, that the Qataris have stopped the US from using the base in material ways/circumstances, then this is a different matter, but he provides no evidence and, in general, the guy is obviously prone to conspiratorial and crude "cui bono" (or, as Jonah would say, "chi paga") explanations.

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  10. Karl C

    Good podcast but it prompted me to look up “Major Non-NATO Ally” designation since I’ve heard it before but didn’t know what it means.

    https://samm.dsca.mil/glossary/major-non-nato-allies#:~:text=Currently%2018%20countries%20are%20designated,Korea%2C%20Thailand%2C%20and%20Tunisia.

    It includes such stalwart allies to the U.S. such as Argentina, Brazil, Pakistan, and Tunisia. While I don’t think MNNA means what the guest means, I do agree we shouldn’t trust Qatar anymore than we should trust the Emeriatis or the Saudis. They all have policy goals that probably don’t overlap much with the American ones. I’m a bit surprised the guest was so willing to give passes to the other two countries.

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