Diplomatic Crisis Hits Arab World: Prospects for Mediation

A diplomatic war has fractured the Arab world. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Libya severed their ties with Qatar on June 5. All the nations said they planned to cut air and sea traffic and Saudi Arabia would also shut its land border with Qatar, effectively cutting off the country from the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. The Yemen's internationally backed government, which has lost control of the nation’s capital and large portions of the country, also cut relations with Qatar, as did the Maldives and Mauritius. Qatar has been excluded from the Arab coalition fighting in Yemen.