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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 February 2018
On July 11, 2017, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and Qatar, thereby establishing a joint plan to investigate and eliminate the financing of terrorism. The agreement was signed against a backdrop of conflict between Qatar and a number of its regional neighbors, particularly Saudi Arabia. While it appears that negotiations between Qatar and the United States predated the formal standoff between Qatar and its neighbors, Qatar has invoked the MOU to defend itself against Saudi accusations of terror financing.
1 Carol Morello & Kareem Fahim, Qatar Agrees to Combat Terrorism Financing Under Deal with U.S., Wash. Post (July 11, 2017), at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/qatar-agrees-to-curb-terrorism-financing-under-deal-with-us/2017/07/11/1a86e3b0-a041-4300-ab03-c840d8a19bcf_story.html.
2 Philip Rucker & Karen DeYoung, Trump Signs ‘Tremendous’ Deals with Saudi Arabia on His First Day Overseas, Wash. Post (May 20, 2017), at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gets-elaborate-welcome-in-saudi-arabia-embarking-on-first-foreign-trip/2017/05/20/679f2766-3d1d-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html.
3 Id.
4 Liz Sly, Qatar Responds to the Demands of Saudi Arabia as Trump Weighs in, Wash. Post (July 3, 2017), at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/qatar-responds-to-the-demands-of-saudi-arabia-and-its-allies/2017/07/03/88420336-5ff9-11e7-80a2-8c226031ac3f_story.html. Yemen, the Maldives, and the eastern Libyan government joined the blockade. Wintour, Patrick, Gulf Plunged into Diplomatic Crisis as Countries Cut Ties with Qatar , Guardian (June 5, 2017)Google Scholar, at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/05/saudi-arabia-and-bahrain-break-diplomatic-ties-with-qatar-over-terrorism.
5 Gulf States Agree to Deal to End Qatar Tensions, Al Jazeera (Apr. 17, 2014), at http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/04/gulf-states-agree-deal-end-qatar-tensions-2014417221056589789.html (describing circumstances under which the 2014 agreement was reached). For text of the 2013 and 2014 agreements obtained and translated by CNN, see http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2017/images/07/10/translation.of.agreementsupdated.pdf.
6 Wintour, supra note 4. Anne Barnard & David D. Kirkpatrick, 5 Arab Nations Move to Isolate Qatar, Putting the U.S. in a Bind, N.Y. Times (June 5, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-arabia-egypt-bahrain-united-arab-emirates.html.
7 Karen DeYoung & Ellen Nakashima, UAE Orchestrated Hacking of Qatari Government Sites, Sparking Regional Upheaval, According to U.S. Intelligence Officials, Wash. Post (July 16, 2017), at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/uae-hacked-qatari-government-sites-sparking-regional-upheaval-according-to-us-intelligence-officials/2017/07/16/00c46e54-698f-11e7-8eb5-cbccc2e7bfbf_story.html.
8 Barnard & Kirkpatrick, supra note 6; Wintour, supra note 4.
9 DeYoung & Nakashima, supra note 7.
10 Michael D. Shear & Peter Baker, Saudis Welcome Trump's Rebuff of Obama's Mideast Views, N.Y. Times (May 20, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/world/middleeast/donald-trump-saudi-arabia.html. Trump said, “They're doing a great job, they're going to be doing something very special. You see it with terrorism, the funding of terrorism. It's going to stop, going to stop the funding of radical Islamic terrorism.” Trump Praises Saudi Arabia, Wash. Post (June 7, 2017), at https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/trump-praises-saudi-arabia/2017/06/07/4136e148-4ba7-11e7-987c-42ab5745db2e_video.html.
11 Morello & Fahim, supra note 1; see also Sly, supra note 4 (“A White House statement suggested, however, that Trump continues to back Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatar, despite efforts by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to adopt a more measured approach.”).
12 U.S. Dep't of State Press Briefing, Spokesperson Heather Nauert, Department Press Briefing (June 20, 2017), at https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2017/06/272056.htm.
13 U.S. Dep't of State Press Release, Press Availability with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani (July 11, 2017), at https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/07/272522.htm.
14 Id.
15 Id.
16 Id.
17 These comments appear to refer to the two agreements Qatar signed with its fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members. See supra note 5.
18 Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia Press Release, Joint Statement by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, The United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain Regarding MOU to Combat Terrorism Between the U.S. and Qatar (July 11, 2017), at https://saudiembassy.net/statements/joint-statement-saudi-arabia-egypt-united-arab-emirates-and-bahrain-regarding-mou-combat.
19 Arab States Issue 13 Demands to End Qatar-Gulf Crisis, Al Jazeera (July 12, 2017), at http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/arab-states-issue-list-demands-qatar-crisis-170623022133024.html.
20 Id.
21 Id.
22 Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release, Qatar Denounces Statement Made by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and UAE (June 9, 2017), at https://www.mofa.gov.qa/en/all-mofa-news/details/2017/06/09/qatar-denounces-statement-made-by-saudi-arabia-egypt-bahrain-and-uae.
23 Gardiner Harris, Tillerson Comes Up Short in Effort to Resolve Qatar Dispute, N.Y. Times (July 13, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-arabia-rex-tillerson.html.
