Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/13/qatar-taliban-iran-nuclear-talks
On Wednesday, October 13, Qatar’s foreign minister Sheikh Mohamad Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani delivered a speech at the Global Security Forum in Doha, Qatar in which he discussed the strengthening of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as the area’s relationship with Iran, the U.S., and Afghanistan. Earlier this year, the nations involved with the GCC decided to restore diplomatic and economic ties to Qatar after they were severed in 2017. Al Thani supported this sentiment, but also encouraged the other member-states to include Iran as part of the GCC, claiming it would help reduce conflict in the area as well as help prevent a nuclear race in the region. Al Thani also stated that relationships with the U.S. have improved since the Trump administration, and that countries in the region should provide guidance for the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan saying “This will create an incentive process and a way forward.”
From my perspective, this decision seems the most logical to make from Qatar. From a geographical perspective, Qatar has to ally itself with its neighbors, or else it becomes exceptionally difficult for commerce between Qatar and other countries. The benefits and support Qatar received from being in the GCC almost forces it to change its behavior to cooperate with them. On top of that, the country has become increasingly involved in the U.S. and Afghanistan, hosting the first face to face discussion between the U.S. and Taliban representatives.
This article ties into international relations through global actors and international philosophies. The GCC is an example of an IGO, specifically an economic one. On the topic of international philosophies, Qatar is attempting to solve the collective goods problem through creating incentives for Afghanistan. While this approach can create an alliance between Afghanistan and the GCC, it will fail if Afghanistan does not accept the offer, or fights back when punished for its decisions. The GCC also ties into the collective goods problem through the issues of free trade and human rights.