WHEN Qatar celebrated its national day in December, warplanes whizzed over the seaside corniche in quick succession: six French-made Mirage fighters, six cargo planes and a squadron of propeller-powered trainers. That was half of the air force. The world’s wealthiest state, with a native population of only 300,000, has never been known for its martial prowess. The first three aircraft deployed to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya in 2011 had to make emergency landings in Cyprus.
Yet Qatar plans to increase the size of its air force. Since June it has signed $20bn in contracts to buy 96 new jets from three countries: F-15s from America, Typhoons from Britain and Rafales from France. The shopping spree is one side-effect of the nine-month-old blockade of Qatar by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The quartet wants Qatar to end its support for Islamist groups, among other things. But the move has awakened...Continue reading
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