Finally, some understanding in the foreign press on why the Qatar Smackdown had to happen: After a slew of partisan US media rhetoric on why the Qatar blockade had been a poor decision, Newsweek gets it right with a look at Qatar’s presence in Libya — and how its destabilizing influence there has wreaked havoc on the region. Writer Jonathan Schanzer reminds those pointing the finger of blame for terrorism funding on all sides that Qatar has been sending massive amounts of weapons and cash to Islamist militants battling the Western-backed government in Libya, and violating a UN arms embargo. Its allies include Islamist militia commanders such as Abdelhakim Belhadj, once the head of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group and an acquaintance of Ben Laden. With Libya being an all too important front in the global war on terror, these activities should be enough to warrant such a backlash.

No love lost between Qataris and Americans? Newsweek’s piece comes as a poll conducted by YouGov and Arab News found that only 27% of Americans see Qatar as a friend or ally. 31% of Americans consider Qatar to be unfriendly toward the US or an enemy, while 43 percent either do not know or are unsure about how to classify the relationship with Doha.