A combination of deft diplomacy and a willingness to spend heavily on military equipment and training appears to have secured firm US support for Qatar, judging from statements made at the first US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue in Washington on 30 January. The outcome of the meeting – which is destined to become an annual affair – will provide a boost to confidence in Doha as it continues to look for ways to ensure its security in the face of the dispute with the GCC-3 of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and in the face of President Donald Trump’s ‘bromance’ with the Al-Salman leadership in Riyadh.
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