Qatar is “indispensable” for negotiating with terrorist entities, but “that comes with a price in terms of reputational risk in Washington and elsewhere,” according to Col. (Ret.) Rich Outzen, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
He told ILTV News that Qatar is an interesting mediator and actor, because they have—largely at the request of the United States—taken on the role of mediator and host for talks not only in this conflict but also in previous ones, such as between the U.S. and Afghanistan.
“Frankly, many people in Washington conceive of Qatar as soft on terrorism, or too willing to talk to the bad guys, and somehow culpable in the actions of those bad guys,” Outzen said. “But my view is that the Qataris are actually a pretty agile mediator. Both with the provision of aid to the Palestinian people and the search for a political solution in the Strip, they've been a very necessary interlocutor. So I tend to see that they are savvy and agile as a diplomatic force. I also think they're willing to do the sorts of things—like interacting with groups such as the Taliban and Hamas—that most other countries can't and won't do.”
Watch the full interview:
ISRAEL’S LONGEST WAR
(ILTV)
