It has been more than three years since the typically-placid Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was shaken up when Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar on 5 June 2017 and imposed an economic embargo that remains in place to this day. Qatar was forced to reshape its trade links in order to withstand the embargo (MEES, 9 June 2017) and three years later trade patterns have changed considerably.
The situation has normalized to such an extent that the ongoing embargo is now often a mere footnote in assessments of the region. While hopes remain that a reconciliation of sorts might be reached, few if any think this might be come as a result of economic pressure on Doha. (CONTINUED - 792 WORDS)
