A blockade that has the Arab world on tenterhooks

THE blockade of Qatar by five Arab nations, led by Saudi Arabia, is yet another example of the fragility and, perhaps, futility, of a Middle East concordat. Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and the UAE have followed the Saudis in demanding Qatar change its "evil" ways - by shutting down outspoken television station Al Jazeera and abandoning its support for Iran and "terrorists".

While the intent is clear - to throttle dissenting speech and to isolate Iran, which is seen as a Saudi nemesis - several have been caught in the crossfire, including Qatar Airways, a front runner in aviation that has picked up numerous global awards for excellence. It also just produced a record 22 per cent increase in annual profit of about US$540 million - an ebullient graph, now imperilled by the US electronics ban and a peevish Saudi stunt.

Dubai-based Emirates still remains the largest Middle East carrier with 259 aircraft compared with 197 for Qatar Airways (and 143 for Cathay Pacific, and 112 for Singapore Airlines).