“While Qatar’s defence spending has been increasing for a number of years, the more recent spending surge appears to be directly related to the crisis,” says David Roberts, assistant professor at King’s College London. In the past few days Qatar’s defence minister, Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah, has said the emirate also wants to host the US Navy. “It’s a massive investment into the military,” says Andreas Krieg, a military adviser to the Qatari government until last year. “Qatar wants these states to have an increasingly direct stake in Qatar’s security and stability,” he says. But despite the spending, Qatar’s military capabilities pale into comparison to those of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 02, 2018 09:33 UTC