In June, Egypt with Arab Gulf countries Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. They also declared punitive measures against the country, saying that these would only be lifted when Qatar met a list of a dozen demands. They asked Qatar to close the Turkish military base on its territory, to downsize relations with Iran, and to stop supporting terrorist groups in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Egypt. The demands of Egypt and its Gulf neighbours are related to the contradictory Qatari foreign policy that has led to damaging the states that Qatar has interfered in. Qatar, one of the smallest states in the world, has employed its wealth and other means to pursue a regional role that is completely disproportionate to its physical size and importance. Qatari behaviour affects Egypt and its neighbours in two main ways. First, it destabilises regional security and stability in the Middle East, and second it destabilises the domestic stability of regional countries, notably by supporting groups that use terrorism, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliated terrorist groups in Sinai. Qatar has sought to divide the Arab Sunni bloc, showing that it does not share the common concerns of other countries in the region and hindering the resolution or settlement of conflicts. Qatar is keen to present the crisis as a Gulf one, and intentionally it has not mentioned Egypt. It deliberately wants to exclude Egypt by declaring that it can understand the concerns of its Gulf neighbours and showing how completely it ignores Egypt's concerns and demands. Given the determinants of Egyptian foreign policy, Egypt cannot ignore crises in the Gulf. The foreign policy of any state stems from the interaction of domestic and external factors, and Egypt articulated its foreign policy after the 30 June Revolution in terms of what it faced from the terrorism of the Muslim Brotherhood and regional conflicts which threatened the cohesion of the state. The determinants of Egyptian foreign policy include supporting the cohesion of the state in the face of extremist groups, refusing any external interference in the domestic affairs of any state, and giving priority to fighting terrorism in international forums. Qatar's behaviour has implications for conflicts that affect Egypt's national security and its efforts to resolve the Libyan issue in particular. Qatar has also interfered in the domestic affairs of Egypt since the 25 January Revolution, and it has employed its media tools to attack Egypt, especially after the 30 June Revolution and the fall of Muslim Brotherhood rule. Qatar presents itself as a protector of freedom in the Arab world in order to deceive the Arab peoples. Given the limited geopolitical sway of this state, it employs terrorist groups to influence regional conflicts. Qatar has also helped the Muslim Brotherhood to power in different Arab states, and all this helps to explain why Egypt has been resolute in its opposition to Qatari plans. The crisis with Qatar is related to Egypt's internal and regional policies. The statements made by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi at the Riyadh Summit in May were directed against the scourge of terrorism and emphasised that terrorism includes those countries that provide financial and logistical support and safe havens for it. Egypt pledged to take action with other Arab states. It moved diplomatically through the UN Security Council, bringing to the council's attention Qatari behaviour in Libya and its violation of UN resolutions. Egypt also showed the ways in which Qatar has been providing financial support and training for Islamic State-affiliated groups in Libya and Sinai. Shuttle diplomacy has recently been taking place through the actions of Western diplomatic figures such as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The aim is to try to mediate between the four Arab states and Qatar, which has been depending on other regional players like Turkey and Iran. This of course diminishes the unified Arab stance towards the regional role of non-Arab states, since this diplomacy is part of a Western effort to calm the situation and to prevent any rift among US allies, especially in the face of the terrorism in the region and the growing role of Iran. Egypt's role has been to demonstrate to the Arab world how Qatar has been undermining Arab regional security and to draw attention to Egypt's fight against terrorism in Sinai and the Nile Valley. As a partner from the beginning of the crisis, Egypt should not withdraw or be excluded from any settlement between Qatar and the Gulf states. Moreover, any eventual settlement should guarantee respect for Egypt's domestic affairs and include measures to ensure that Qatar stops supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and terrorism in Sinai and Libya. The writer is a political analyst at the International Relations Department, Cairo University.
