German attitudes towards Qatar have varied recently, targeting its organization of the World Cup in the media, and on the other hand celebrating the conclusion of gas agreements with it, which two Arab experts described as a policy of “narrow interests” and “double standards.”
Two Arab experts spoke to Anadolu Agency about contradictions within German politics and its parties, and at the same time conflicting interests, in an attempt to occupy an advanced position in world politics.
European campaigns continue against Qatar’s organization of the World Cup, and its ban on homosexuals raising their slogans during the World Cup matches. Within the framework of the campaign, European ministers, led by Germans, defended the right of their countries’ football teams to express their views in support of the LGBT community.
German Interior Minister Nancy Weser showed her support for her country’s national team when she attended their match against Japan, wearing the colorful gay badge.
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Yesterday, Tuesday, Qatari Energy Minister Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi said that Qatar Energy Company “has signed an agreement with Germany to supply it with natural gas for a period of 15 years, starting from 2026,” which was praised by German Minister of Economy Robert Habeck.
** Political contradictions
Iraqi writer and researcher Nazir Al-Kanduri told Anadolu Agency, commenting on the contradictions of German policy towards Qatar, that it “was not the first of its kind, whether towards Qatar or towards many other global issues.”
He added: “Germany’s attempt to lead the world as a country of great economic importance made it fall into the trap of contradiction in many of these issues. Its policies towards the Ukrainian-Russian crisis contradicted, as it refused to impose strict sanctions on Russia because of its annexation of Crimea in 2014.”
And he added, “It faltered in support of Ukraine against the Russian invasion of its lands. Germany in its recent years has shown strictness in its defense of what it calls universal human values, despite the disagreement of many countries over them, such as homosexuality and sexual freedom.”
Al-Kanduri added, “But at the same time, it shows flexibility in important human values agreed upon by all peoples of the world, such as the right of peoples to defend themselves and fight the occupation, as is the case in Palestine.”
** Country case
Al-Kanduri touched on the Qatari case, saying: “We found a great German contradiction in dealing with Qatar, as it defends the right of homosexuals to promote their abnormal practices that are rejected by the Qatari people, the peoples neighboring Qatar, and many peoples of the world.”
He continued, “But at the same time, it is looking for an investment opportunity to finance it with Qatari gas for many years. This is what Qatar announced that it agreed to supply Germany with two million tons of liquefied natural gas annually, for at least 15 years.”
And he added, “It seems that the German administration is trying to wage low-cost battles, through which it can create a great global political position for it, and lead the world politically in proportion to its global leadership on the economic and industrial level.”
He continued, “But it avoids other important humanitarian issues because it will be very expensive for it. It defends gay rights, sexual freedom, and workers’ rights in some countries, but it ignores references to crimes against the Palestinian people, or the crimes of dictatorial regimes against their people.”
Al-Kanduri said, “A review of the history of German politics in its last years reveals that it quickly realizes its contradictions when its contradictory policies conflict with its narrow basic interests, and it is expected that the raging German campaign against Qatar will end with the referee’s whistle announcing the end of the last match in the World Cup.”
He added, “It will change its anti-Qatar media, and open a new page with it because of the depth of Germany’s need for Qatari gas, which has become an issue affecting the European presence in the midst of the conflict with Russia over energy supplies.”
Al-Kanduri concluded by saying: “All the acrobatic movements made by the German Minister of the Interior when she attended her team’s match in Qatar and carried the gay badge will go into oblivion and go unheeded, and Qatar will be transformed by the German flags into a country of freedom and a country of tolerance in the Middle East.”
** Two parallel lines
Tunisian writer Aida Ben Omar said, for her part, about the German contradictions: “It is known that the Chancellor of Germany (Olaf Schultz) has experience in international relations, while the Green Party, to which the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Annalina Berbock) belongs, is an amateur party that has no interest in foreign relations and does not care Except for the environmental issue.
She added to Anadolu Agency: “With the neo-Nazis (white-skinned advocates) dominating the media, the two found their way to agree in serving their different agendas, and the World Cup was one of the Qatari constants in which they found room for tampering, not to serve Germany, but rather to serve their sectarian and inhumane agendas.”
Ben Omar explained the contradiction by saying: “Considering the narrow German interests, there is no contradiction between what is economic and the German media’s attack on Qatar, and both are in two parallel lines in an attempt to pressure Qatar to break up the energy cake.”
And she added, “A party that wants to centralize is flirting with the media, and a media that extends its bridges to serve the white nationalism or the so-called neo-Nazis. On the other hand, we find Qatar in one direction and one strategy, which is building bridges and linking external relations within the framework of the goals of serving humanity and the global humanitarian project.”
Bin Omar stated that Qatar “does not see such strife, given its strength that it derives from energy, media and money. The bottom line is pragmatism and double standards, and Germany will continue to try to take the gas, and at the same time appear as Khawaja and criticize the internal affairs of the countries of the world.”