US Urges Canada and Saudi Arabia to Resolve Feud

The US State Department has urged Canada and Saudi Arabia to resolve their escalating feud. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has expelled the Canadian ambassador, suspended flights to the country and terminated student exchange programs. This comes after Canada's foreign minister called on the Saudis to release detained human rights activists. Washington Post foreign affairs writer Ishaan Tharoor joins CBSN to break down the diplomatic spat.

Qatar: Meet Citizens Affected by the Diplomatic Crisis

Is the Qatar Boycott a Precursor to Invasion?

Inside Story - What's Behind the Diplomatic Breakdown in the Gulf?

What's behind the diplomatic breakdown in the Gulf? – Inside Story This time it's more than just recalling ambassadors. Land and sea borders have been closed. On top of that, major airlines are cancelling flights to and from Doha. And Qatar residents have two weeks to leave the Gulf states in question.

Qatari leaders say they’re astonished at what they call the unjustified decision by seven countries to cut diplomatic relations. A cabinet statement said the aim is to strip Qatar of its sovereign decisions. The Foreign Ministry said: 'The aim is clear and it is to impose guardianship on the state. This by itself is a violation of Qatar's sovereignty as a state. So, how far will this crisis go? And what will mean for the Gulf Cooperation Council? | Presenter: Kamahl Santamaria | Guests: Abdulaziz Alhorr, Academic, researcher and contributor to the book: 'Policy-making in transformative state: The Case of Qatar'; Mahjoob Zweiri, Associate Professor in contemporary history of the Middle East, Qatar University; David Hearst, Editor in chief of Middle East Eye

Diplomatic Spat: Several Gulf States Cut Ties with Qatar for Allegedly ‘Supporting Terrorism’

The Middle East has descended into a huge diplomatic row. Four Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE have severed diplomatic ties with Qatar. While Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have also closed their borders with the country. They accuse Doha of supporting terrorism and interfering in the internal affairs of Arab states.

GCC Rift: Five Nations Cut Diplomatic Ties with Qatar

The Qatari government says it regrets the unjustified decision by four countries to cut diplomatic ties. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are also imposing an air, sea, and land embargo. The Saudis accuse Qatar of supporting extremism and radicalism as well as media incitement, which Qatar denies. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra explains.

Here's What's Behind the Qatar Diplomatic Split

Four Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and moved to close off access to the Gulf country, escalating a crisis that started over its relationship with Iran and its support of the Muslim Brotherhood. Bloomberg's Mohammed Sergie reports on "Bloomberg Markets."

Neutral Swiss Hurt by Libyan Row
If anyone has been hurt by the Libyan row, it is Libya itself, because it has shown itself to be just what it truly is: a rogue state. – © Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: Neutral Switzerland has had its reputation as a global mediator dented as weaknesses in its foreign policy are exposed by its escalating row with Libya, analysts said.

Relations between Bern and Tripoli have been strained since July 2008, when one of the sons of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Hannibal and his wife were arrested in Geneva after two domestic workers complained they had mistreated them.

Libyan [sic] retaliated by blocking two Swiss businessmen from leaving its territory while Switzerland imposed visa restrictions on some Libyans, effectively blocking them from entering Europe's Schengen 25 nation travel zone.

But the row reached new heights this week when Gaddafi called for jihad against the alpine state over a recent Swiss ban on the construction of minarets.

Hasni Abidi, the director of the Geneva-based Study and Research Centre for the Arab and Mediterranean World, said the tussle with Libya was "bad publicity for the Swiss in the Arab and Muslim world," where Switzerland had traditionally played a role in mediation.

Bern was a middleman in ending decades of hostility stemming from World-War I-era massacres between Turkey and Armenia, leading them to sign historic protocols estabilishing diplomatic ties.

Switzerland also represents US interests in Iran and Tehran's interests in Egypt.

However, "this speciality is very certainly weakening given the situation linked to the Libyan crisis," added another analyst, Frederic Esposito, from the European Institute of the University of Geneva.

Abidi added that this was amplified by a Swiss referendum vote last year to ban the construction of new minarets, a move that drew worldwide criticism and which Kadhafi seized on to call for jihad.

Gaddafi knew that Switzerland's role as a mediator is "based on its image of neutrality and impartiality and openness," said Abidi, and therefore he has attacked this image.

Swiss handling of the Libyan crisis has exposed broader weaknesses in its foreign policy, said analysts. >>> Hui Min Neo and Alix Rijckaert, in Geneva for AFP | Monday, March 01, 2010

Putin’s Games – Russia's Military Get Down to Some of Good, Old-Fashioned Sabre-Rattling: RAF Fighter Jets Yesterday Intercept Two Russian Strategic Bombers Heading for British Airspace
TIMESONLINE: RAF fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian strategic bombers heading for British airspace yesterday, as the spirit of the Cold War returned to the North Atlantic once again.

The incident, described as rare by the RAF, served as a telling metaphor for the stand-off between London and Moscow over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

While the Kremlin hesitated before responding to Britain’s expulsion of four diplomats, the Russian military engaged in some old-fashioned sabre-rattling.

Two Tu95 “Bear” bombers were dispatched from their base on the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic Circle and headed towards British airspace. RAF scrambles to intercept Russian bombers (more) By Richard Beeston

Mark Alexander