Analyst: Gulf Crisis 'Is a Crisis by Choice, Not by Necessity'

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to launch a fresh bid on Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha, both allies of Washington, but without high hopes of a breakthrough.

Omar Ashour, a senior lecturer in Middle East Politics and Security Studies at the University of Exeter, speaks to Al Jazeera about Tillerson's Middle East tour.

Qatar Looks to Increase Tourism despite Blockade

Tourism industry leaders from around the world are in Qatar to celebrate World Tourism Day. The number of tourists worldwide is expected to rise to around two billion by 2030, and sustainable tourism is a major concern for delegates. ¶ Qatar wants to attract five-and-a-half million visitors within the next five years, despite a blockade by neighbouring countries.

Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim's UN Speech in Full

Qatar's emir has addressed the 72nd UN General Assembly session in New York City. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani addressed Qatar’s blockade and called “for an unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect for sovereignty”.

On international matters, he called on Myanmar's government "to stop violence against Rohingya minority" and appealed to Palestinians to complete their "national reconciliation".

Gulf Crisis Explained, 100 Days after Anti-Qatar Blockade

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain along with Egypt announced an embargo on Qatar on June 5, setting off the Gulf crisis. More than three month blockade has affected families, students and made it difficult for Qatari pilgrims to perform Hajj. So far, Kuwait's mediation efforts have not yielded any results with the blockading nations, who say they will not budge unless Qatar agrees to a list of 13 demands. The demands include cutting ties with Iran and shutting down the Al Jazeera media network.

Inside Story: Trying to End the Gulf Dispute

It was their first phone call since diplomatic relations were cut and a land, sea and air blockade imposed more than three months ago.

The Emir of Qatar and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia talked by phone on Friday. But hopes of a breakthrough were quickly put on hold, along with more talks, apparently because of a dispute about protocol.

The setback followed Donald Trump's offer to help end the crisis. What went wrong?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Abdullah Baabood - Director Gulf Study Center, Qatar University; Mohammed Jaham Abdulaziz Al Kuwari - Qatar's Ambassador to Spain; Andreas Krieg, Assistant Professor, Defence Studies Department, King's College London.

Inside Story - What Can Russia Do to Help End the Gulf Crisis?

The Russian foreign Minister has been in Qatar as part of efforts to find a common ground in the Gulf crisis. Sergey Lavrov has already visited the UAE and Kuwait this week and arrived in Doha on Wednesday.

Lavrov is the highest ranking Russian official to come to the Gulf since the crisis began. He says Russia fully supports the Emir of Kuwait's efforts to bring an end to the blockade that began on June 5th. But what can Russia do to help end the blockade?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiya - Qatar's Ambassador to Russia; Vyacheslav Matuzov - a former Russian diplomat, now Chairman of the Russian Friendship Society with Arab Countries; Abdullah Baabood - Professor of International Relations and Political Economy of the Gulf at Qatar University

Inside Story - How Open Is Saudi's Invitation to Hajj Pilgrims from Qatar?

Almost three months after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar, Saudi's King Salman appears to offer a small step towards reconciliation. He's ordered the reopening of the border with Qatar to Hajj pilgrims. The invitation comes the day after the US described the Gulf crisis as being at a stalemate. Qatar's foreign minister welcomed the move, although he said it was a "politically-motivated decision". In reality, at the border crossing, some Qataris are still not being allowed to make the journey. What will it take to restore trust between sparring Arab neighbours? | Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Ibrahim Fraihat, Assoc. Prof. Conflict Resolution & Humanitarian Studies, Doha Institute; Maysam Behravesh, Political Science, Lund University; Arwa Ibrahim, News editor, Middle East Eye

Qatar to Approve Permanent Residency for Some Expats

Qatar has passed a law to allow some of the foreigners who make up most of its population to get permanent residency.

Qatar Rejects Renewed Calls to Fulfil Neighbours’ Demands

Qatar has rejected renewed calls by four Arab countries to concede to a list of demands to end the Saudi-led blockade and restore diplomatic relations. The US State department is also calling for Gulf nations to resolve their crisis.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt met on Sunday but offered no new plan to move forward. There were also reports that the countries loosened the air blockade on the country, but Qatar says that has not happened. Al Jazeera's David Chater reports from Doha.

Gulf Crisis Hits Stalemate

Qatar's foreign minister has rejected claims that diplomatic efforts to end the dispute between Qatar and Saudi-led quartet were failing. But he did admit that the crisis was not going to be resolved any time soon. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reports from Doha.

Inside Story: Can Tillerson Get Anti-Qatar Quartet to End GCC Crisis?

It's the worst dispute to hit this region since the founding of the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981. Now, a little more than a month into a blockade of Qatar imposed by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt; the U.S. is taking an active diplomatic approach. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is visiting Saudi Arabia - after having made stops in Doha and Kuwait city over the last few days. He praised Qatar after it became the first regional power to sign a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. to fight terror financing. But can he change the positions of the blockading countries? | Presenter: Adrian Finighan | Guests: Ali Al Kandari - Professor of Contemporary Gulf History at Kuwait University; Fahad Al-Attiya - Qatar's Ambassador to Russia; David Hearst - Editor of the Middle East Eye.

The Debate - Tillerson to the Rescue: US Secretary of State in Qatar Crisis Mediation

Inside Story: What Leverage Does the US Have in the Gulf Dispute?

The US secretary of state visited Qatar on the second stop of his Gulf tour. On Monday he was in Kuwait, which has been mediating the standoff between Qatar and its neighbours. The US hopes to negotiate a resolution to the diplomatic crisis which began over a month ago.

Rex Tillerson has been speaking to the emir of Qatar pushing for dialogue to solve the dispute. He says Qatar has been clear in its positions, describing them as “reasonable”.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Doha last month, accusing it of supporting “terrorism” - an allegation Qatar's government has strongly rejected. So, will Tillerson's shuttle diplomacy ease tensions in the region? | Presenter: Hazem Sika | Guests: Shafeeq Ghabra - Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University; Nasser Al Khalifa - Former Qatari Ambassador to the US and the United Nations; Andrew Bowen - Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Tillerson in Doha: "Trump Wants to Rid Earth of Terrorism & Agreement Is a Little Part of It"

Saudi Arabia Fails to Rally Support to Put More Pressure on Qatar

The diplomatic crisis in the Persian Gulf continues to unfold with Qatar standing firm against what it calls bullying by some Arab states. Qatar’s infrastructure has incurred losses due to the ongoing rift, but Qatari citizens and many countries around the world have been showing their support in the face of a boycott imposed on Doha by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain. We have a report.

Inside Story - Is Anti-Qatar Quartet Spreading Hate Speech in Mosques?

Clerics in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt are praising the isolation of Qatar.

State TV in Saudi Arabia broadcast prayers by cleric Abdelrahman Al-Sudais during the holy month of Ramadan, which included comments about "terrorist funders" and social media activists said he was alluding to Qatar.

Other videos and Twitter feeds of clerics in Saudi Arabia were circulated online in what appears to be a mobilisation campaign against Qatar. Some clerics in Egypt and the UAE have also been heard supporting the blockade on Qatar. What are the long term ramifications of using religion in a political conflict? | Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Youcef Bouandel - professor of international affairs at Qatar University; James Dorsey - senior fellow at Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore; Shahid Qureshi - editor of online news website London Post

Inside Story: Are the Saudis Funding Extremism?

The diplomatic crisis in the Gulf has seen Qatar living under a blockade for more than a month now.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt accused Qatar of, among other things, supporting extremists - claims Doha strongly denies. Now, a report from a UK think tank is pointing the finger at Saudi Arabia for being a key figure in financing such groups. And raises questions about its role with armed groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant armed group.

There is also another report on the subject - from the British government, but its conclusions have not been made public. So, why is Saudi Arabia accusing other countries of sponsoring extremism? | Presenter: Sohail Rahman | Guests: Shafeeq Ghabra - Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University; Simon Mabon - Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Lancaster; Marwan Kabalan - Associate Analyst at the Doha Institute: Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies

What the Media Won't Tell You About Qatar

Did Saudi Arabia Miscalculate with Qatar Feud? - UpFront

In this web extra, we discuss the new leadership of Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and look at how the current Gulf crisis may shape future diplomatic relations.

"I think [Mohammed bin Salman] has miscalculated, once again," says Barbara Slavin, Director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council. "I think he has scored an own goal."

"[Mohammed bin Salman] is not going to have quick success everywhere and his biggest challenge, actually, is not in foreign policy, it’s in domestic policy, and in reforming and diversifying his economy, and that’s a huge undertaking," says Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.

The panellists also discussed whether relations between Gulf countries will recover.

"I think it is absolutely possible," Haykel says.

"There will be concessions from both sides, but I think that Qatar, culturally and religiously, is an extension of Arabia."

"This has never been a cohesive group and now it may be fatally broken," Slavin says.

The Debate - Qatar Diplomatic Crisis: Now the Deadline Has Passed, What Next?