A sudden diplomatic crisis broke out in the Persian Gulf on June 5, as a coalition of countries moved to isolate Qatar, the tiny oil and gas-rich emirate. In a joint statement Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt announced they would halt air, land and sea travel to and from Qatar, with Riyadh going so far as to ban Qatari aircraft from using Saudi air space as of June 6. The Arab countries have suspended diplomatic relations with Qatar and ordered Qatari diplomats to leave. Qatar has also been ejected from the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen. Shares on the Qatari exchange tumbled at the news , dropping 8 percent amid fears that the country’s economic growth is slowing down. The official justification was Qatar’s support for terrorism, including ISIS, but analysts point to regional tensions and growing divisions within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as the real […]