Disagreements between Member States of the GCC as a Factor of the Political Situation in the Middle East Region

The paper deals with the phenomenon of the Qatari-Saudi rivalry in the Middle East in the context of dissimilarities between political programs and aspirations of the two states in the Middle East.

The following research undertakings are realized in the article:

• an explanation of the reasons of Qatar and the Saudi Kingdom’s domination in the Arab politics of the last 15 years;

• an analysis of the Qatari foreign policy and the regional geopolitical agenda of Qatar;

• an inquiry into the reasons and driving forces of the Saudi-Qatari conflict;

• a study of the external actors’ influence on the Saudi-Qatari conflict, taking into account the changers in the U.S. foreign policy;

• investigation of the different political strategies of the Saudi Arabia and UAE in Yemen which may lead to disintegration of this country.

The author emphasizes four main reasons for the Saudi-Qatari rivalry: support by the Qatari leadership of the international movement Muslim Brotherhood; tribal rivalry among the families of al-Saud and al-Thani; struggle for the ideological heritage of Muhammad Abdel Wahhab; different approaches to Iran, and its role in the region.

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