Ending the Qatar Blockade Is Crucial to U.S. Interests

It’s now nearly two years since a coalition of Arab countries imposed a misguided economic blockade on Qatar. The group — Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — said it was punishing the gas-rich emirate for its ties with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood, but the embargo is widely perceived as part of a larger competition for preeminence in Arab affairs.

Ending it should be a priority for U.S. President Donald Trump. Of the Arab world’s many divisions, sectarian and political, none is more damaging to American interests than this one. The Saudi-led group’s objectives haven’t been met. On the contrary, denied food supplies from — and air routes over — the blockading states, Qatar has only grown more dependent on Iran, while its economy has weathered the blockade with ease.