Qatar should be told to keep away from ISIS

The role and the goals of Qatar in Middle East and also in Africa need to be carefully scrutinised. The Qatari authorities were very much behind the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. They invested billions to support the government of former president Mohamed Morsi. They have been very much behind Hamas in Gaza. And now there are questions being raised about their alleged assistance to the terrorist group ISIS.

In many ways, one has to be clear. Qatar should be challenged. And it is also important to underline that any regime that supports ISIS is an accomplice to a criminal organisation of dark-age fanatics. ISIS has no place in the modern world. And no civilised state should think that funding ISIS will serve its own national interests.

I am for a tough and clear diplomacy in this type of situations. 

Egypt should not repeat the Algerian crisis

Egypt’s situation is in serious risk of paralysing the little that is still working in the country. And it is also moving fast towards a dead end. It is time to realise that a repetition of the Algeria’s crisis of the early nineties is now becoming a real possibility. One should remember the very high costs that Algerian crisis brought in, during so many years, both in terms of human suffering and underdevelopment.  The Egyptian leadership has to be able to rise to the very dramatic challenge that the country faces, be able to talk sense to the nation and propose a way forward that is as inclusive as possible.

If that is not the case, Egypt will move closer to violent unrest. 

Egypt

Egypt is in very deep waters. One can only be very concerned. As a key country in a very complex region, the international community can only discuss, with great serenity, what can be done to assist the Egyptians in this hour of great difficulties. Any ill-measured statement or decision, be it taken in Washington or Brussels, can only make things worse.