Qatar: Out in the cold
The GCC faces an unprecedented crisis as three member states politically and economically ostracise Doha
It doesn't get much worse than this. What began as a media war of words has escalated into the most serious diplomatic spat the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has witnessed since its creation in 1981. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have not only cut diplomatic relations with Qatar, but they've also shut down all transport links with it and banned their citizens from going there. These are the harshest measures that can be imposed on a neighbouring country—short of military intervention. The anti-Qatar move is being led by Saudi Arabia which has long accused the Doha leadership of wrecking Gulf unity by backing the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic groups, and mai
Also in this section
19 February 2026
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy has grown its business rapidly since exporting its first cargo a decade ago. But Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin tells Petroleum Economist that, as in the past, the company’s future expansion plans are anchored by high levels of contracted offtake, supporting predictable returns on investment
19 February 2026
Growth in LNG supply will surpass the rise in demand in 2026 for the first time in years, according to Mike Fulwood, senior research fellow at the OIES, but lower prices are likely to encourage fuel switching and could create more demand on a permanent basis
19 February 2026
Awais Ali Butt, manager for sales and business development at Pakistan LNG Ltd, discusses LNG’s role in energy security across developing, price-sensitive economies, as well as examining trade-offs between buying strategies and the impact of lower prices and policy on import behaviour
19 February 2026
LNG’s technical maturity, availability and price, as well as regulation, have driven its rapid adoption as a marine fuel, yet its future in shipping will depend on transition policies and progress in cutting methane emissions and scaling bio- and synthetic LNG, according to Carlos Guerrero at Bureau Veritas
