The Qatari Blockade: Was an International Legal Resolution Possible?

Rotimi, Olufunlola (2021) The Qatari Blockade: Was an International Legal Resolution Possible? Working Paper. SSRN. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Tensions with Qatar generally revolved around its support for political Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas; its relationship with Iran; and its ownership of the media network, Al Jazeera. As a result of this, Qatar was accused of terrorism, conspiring with a regional rival1 and meddling in the internal affairs of other countries by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt (the Quartet). In June 2017, they imposed a land, sea and air blockade of Qatar, expelled Qatari nationals and severed all diplomatic ties. This dispute was ultimately resolved through diplomacy – as with most other disputes between the Arabian Gulf states – after three and a half years in January 2021 via the Al-Ula Agreement. Given the expense, loss of income, the effect on families and time taken to reach a resolution, it is worth considering whether this matter could have been effectively resolved through international legal action. This paper briefly examines some of the international and regional legal issues involved in the situation such as the lawfulness of the embargo and to a lesser extent, the principle of GCC economic citizen, the right to family life and the defences of countermeasures and national security. This paper posits that although the dispute was resolved through diplomacy and international legal recourse was unavailable in many of the issues raised, a legal resolution was needed to address unresolved underlying points of contention and highlight inconsistencies in the GCC legal framework.

Item Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Divisions:	Law > International Law
Depositing User:	K Wright
Date Deposited:	17 Mar 2026 15:30
Last Modified:	17 Mar 2026 15:30
URI:	https://ulaw.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/63

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