Fear and diplomacy fuel Qatar’s military spending

DOHA: Since the Qatar diplomatic crisis started, one response by the emirate has become increasingly clear—Doha is using its extraordinary wealth to fund a massive push in defense spending.

A flurry of military contracts have followed since Saudi Arabia and its allies dramatically cut all ties with Qatar last June, accusing the 2022 World Cup host of sponsoring terrorism and cozying up to Riyadh’s bitter regional rival, Iran.