Time to end America's toxic relationship with Qatar - opinion

Why does the United States defend the mega-rich, tiny state of Qatar, a nation that supports and applauds Islamist terror, is the financial home of the Muslim Brotherhood, and uses its education-focused Qatari Foundation to sway the minds of American students beginning in kindergarten? 

And how is it that on October 7, when Doha was exposed for the world to see as the champion and economic supporter of Hamas, it not only emerged unscathed in its support for a terror group that raped, beheaded, tortured, kidnapped, and incinerated innocent civilians but became an indispensable mediator? 

If this is news to you, read on. If you are in a position of influence or a member of Congress, it’s time to do something to protect America and stop listening to the transparent and self-serving rationalizations that all have dollar signs behind them.

For those who do not know, Qatar supports and has given sanctuary to the rogues gallery of Salafists, many with American blood on their hands, including the Taliban, Hamas, al-Qaeda, and ISIS. You get the picture.

An investigative report from The Free Press entitled “How Qatar Bought America” hit the nail on the head:

“How did a refuge of Islamist radicalism… manage to put itself smack-dab in the center of global diplomacy and so successfully ingratiate itself within the Trump administration? What we found is that no obstacle, no bad headline, is too big for Qatar’s money. Qatar has spent almost $100 billion to establish its legitimacy in Congress, American colleges and universities, US newsrooms, think tanks, and corporations… its lobbyists have the connections needed to open all the right doors in Washington,” it reported.

Transacting with  a state sponsor of terror

For years, I chastised European nations, especially France, for wanting to do business with state sponsors of terror – most notably the Islamic Republic of Iran – for economic benefits, as well as to placate their growing Islamist population. At times, it seemed like France would sell its grandmothers for a profit.

Now, the US is following the French and other Europeans as we, too, engage in a transactional arrangement with a state sponsor of terror, Qatar, the longtime supporter of Sunni terrorists and the Muslim Brotherhood movement. 

The Qataris have undermined the bedrock of American democracy, its higher institutions of learning, with tens of billions of dollars, and have now moved into indoctrinating its very impressionable K-12 students. No business deal, no matter how many trillions of dollars, should be able to buy the ability to influence the American educational system.

The US House started well, passing the DETERRENT Act in 2025, aiming to enhance transparency of foreign gifts and closing reporting loopholes. More needs to be done to protect our students and frame this Islamist influence as undermining our national security.

Democrats and Republicans who do not profit from Qatari largesse and lobbying should take aim at the Qatari Foundation, whose narratives are aligned with Qatari interests. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies found a correlation between Qatari funding and increased antisemitic incidents on campuses. Institutions receiving undisclosed funds from Qatar reportedly experienced, on average, 250% more antisemitic incidents compared to those that do not.

According to the Network Contagion Research Institute, which identifies the “spread of ideologically motivated threats and disinformation,” Qatar was the largest donor to American higher education. Meanwhile, the Qatari emir’s mother, who chairs the Qatar Foundation, publicly praised arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar on social media. 

American independence - from Qatar

It should also craft laws to limit the amount of money a foreign government can use to lobby Congress. Tens of millions of dollars and the employment of former congressional aides to gain access to the halls of power undermine our democracy and should be considered a serious security threat. This means updating the Foreign Agents Registration Act to ensure heightened transparency of foreign influence in US political, public opinion, and policy processes and limit its reach. 

Next, the US should look to build other Middle Eastern bases besides Al Udeid. The Emirates, a much more reliable American partner not aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, is interested and would foot the bill. Wouldn’t it be nice to have another military option in a nation that is not in bed with Iran and the panoply of Sunni jihadists?

When I mentioned this to Qatari officials, they went apoplectic, as they think America owes them. Qatari animus toward the Emirates and the Saudis, who fear the Islamism that the Qatari government funds, supports, and gives sanctuary to, is well known. 

Once we gain some independence from Qatar, we can focus on pressuring the emir to change the tone of his Al Jazeera network, which actively undermines the interests of the US as well as its allies from Saudi Arabia to Israel. Their claim that the media outlet is separate from the Qatari government shouldn’t be taken seriously.

If the US does not have fundamental values that we strive to live by, our experiment in democracy will be destined for the dustbin of history. Without considering allies, American ideals, or long-term security consequences, transactional relationships alone are a losing formula. 

The appearance of the president’s family and associates wheeling and dealing in the Middle East is unseemly. It makes us seem corrupt and unexceptional rather than the “shining city on a hill.”

When America is perceived as strong, balancing pragmatism with principles and executing economic transactions that consider security interests, America is respected. It creates the conditions to lead and influence the world as the principal democratic superpower, fostering the conditions for freedom and stability in the world.

Without demanding fundamental change in Qatari nefarious activities, such as financially supporting Islamism or giving sanctuary to radical groups like Hamas, the administration’s strategy, based overwhelmingly on economics, leaves America without influence, respect, and aligned with terror-supporting states in future years.

The writer is the founder of the Middle East Political Information Network and the senior security editor of The Jerusalem Report. He regularly briefs members of Congress, their foreign policy aides, and the State Department.