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1 1 (September 2017)

handle is hein.amenin/aeiaaap0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Key Points * While Kuwait has been an important partner in the ongoing mediation efforts to end the current Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) crisis, its efforts have not produced a viable solution all sides can agree on. * Qatar has been able to fare better in this crisis than its GCC neighbors expected due to its unique economic position to punch above its geopolitical weight. This has allowed Doha, even in an existential crisis in which Saudi Arabia and five other states sought to force it into submission, to foil the designs of its Gulf neighbors. * US presidential leadership is required if the crisis is to be brought to a resolution. To begin, all parties would need to agree to a common set of principles, which Washington can and should help facilitate. Nearly three months have passed in the cold conflict between Qatar and its neighbors, yet a resolution remains elusive. On September 8, President Donald Trump took a direct approach toward mediating this crisis by brokering a phone conversation between the Qatari emir and the Saudi crown prince.' This was the first phone conversation between the two Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders since the crisis erupted. Initially, the prospects for an agreement looked promising. Both leaders agreed to dialogue through their representatives, with each side proclaiming to be open to a resolution after months of rhetoric and stalled negotiations. However, these promising developments collapsed within an hour. Riyadh suspended talks and accused Doha of misrepresenting the nature of the phone call by implying that Saudi Arabia had sought dialogue with Qatar without first meeting the original conditions put forth by Riyadh and its allies for negotiations. President Trump's brief attempt to facilitate a dialogue was ultimately tabled by competing sets of egos arguing over who made the first concession. It remains unclear whether there is political will to negotiate beyond paying lip service to Trump, whose initial response in June was to side with Saudi Arabia and its allies, even though his administration chartered a more balanced approach. This breakthrough, although short-lived, shows that when the president is engaged and pushes for negotiations, dialogue is possible. This is markedly different from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's initiatives to begin face-to-face discussions, which have been ineffective in getting both sides to the table. Moving forward, optimism that this conflict can be resolved is misplaced. The GCC states' current actions suggest that further escalation is likely. Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani's recent promotion as an alternative leader for Qatar underscores this. Saudi Arabia's public campaign to delegitimize the AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE

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