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Global Geopolitical Series: Qatar plans to woo U.S. in making U.S. base permanent

As the Trump administration is weighing on reducing overseas U.S. military bases Qatar, which has been facing economic, political, diplomatic, and social blockade by Saudi Arabia led alliance that includes Egypt, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) to name a few, has taken up steps to woo the administration in making the U.S. base in Qatar a more permanent one.

According to Qatar’s defense minister, Qatar plans to add 200 more housing units to the Al-Udeid Air Base, crucial to the US-led counter-terrorist campaign, so that US troops deployed there on a permanent basis can feel at home. It also plans to add a school. Calling Al-Udeid a full city in itself, the minister said that the Americans are always welcome in the country regardless of what the region think of them. He also pointed out that almost 80 percent of the U.S. aircrafts that are engaged in battle in Iraq and Syria receive refueling from the airbase.

In addition to making the U.S. soldiers feel at home, the minister unveiled plans of renovating its naval ports so that the country can be home to U.S. navy too. U.S. base in Qatar provides a sense of security to the country at a time of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East over the ongoing strife between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Yemen, which cut diplomatic ties with Qatar in June last year, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

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