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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful The Annual Strategic Report 2017 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful 1 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER The Strategic Studies Center The board of the preparation of raise awareness of the importance of the armed forces and their integration the annual strategic report with governmental bodies and institutions to maintain national security Profile, functions and duties of the Center The Establishment of the Center General Supervisor • To find a position for the Center on the map of centers interested in mili- tary and strategic affairs at the regional and international level The Strategic Studies Center was estab- • To coordinate with the regional and international strategic studies centers. lished in April 2004, in order to conduct spe- cialized researches and studies in the aspects • To analyse the studies/researches/information in order to draw lessons and the lessons that benefit our armed forces. of military, political and civil studies. It is a Center that affiliates to the Qatari Armed • To analyse various incidental variables in the countries of the region and Forces. their impact on national security of the State of Qatar Vision: Staff Brigadier General To transform the Center by the year 2022 to Dr. Hamad Mohammed Al-Marri a leading Center for strategic and military Commander of the Strategic Organization studies in order serve the armed forces and Studies Center The Center consists of five directorates:- the civilian sectors of the government. 1- Security and Defence Studies Directorate. Mission 2- Gulf and Regional Studies Directorate Head of the Preparation Committee 3- International Studies Directorate. The mission is to provide specialized studies 4- Conference and information Directorate. and researches in the areas of defence and 5- Research, Development and Documentation Directorate strategy, which affect the national security. Objectives:- Preparation Committee • The objectives are to provide 1- Colonel Salih Ahmed Al-Yaffei studies and consultations which 2- Expert Dr. Akram Hussam Farhat contribute to the development 3- Expert Dr. El-Sadeq Abu Nafeesa of the Qatari Armed Forces, and maintain its national security. Brigadier/ • Enhancement of the importance of Ghanim Nasseeb Al- Abdullah contribution of the Center and to Head of the Gulf Strategic Studies department 2 3 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER Contents Page Serial Activities Number The diplomatic and the moral approach adopted by the 17 72 Page State of Qatar in the management of the crisis Serial Activities Number Kuwaiti mediation efforts and the diplomatic good offices 18 74 Selected military studies endeavours of the friendly countries 19 Stalemate of the crisis and the stage of the lost bets 75 1 National service 10 20 GCC Summit in Kuwait 79 2 Military schools 17 21 Expected scenarios of the Gulf crisis in 2018 82 Regional and international crises External participations of the Center and the expertise exchange program 3 Syrian crisis 22 Visit of the command of the Strategic Studies Center to the 22 84 4 American Gulf relations 30 Republic of Sudan Visit of the delegation of the Navy Collage in the Republic 5 Lebanese Issue 33 23 86 of Pakistan to the Strategic Studies Center Visit of the of the delegation of the Strategic Studies 6 Iraqi Issue 37 24 87 Center to the State of Kuwait 7 Iranian Issue 44 Visit of the delegation of the Department of Strategic Plan- 8 Yemeni crisis 48 25 ning at the Kuwaiti Armed Forces to the Strategic Studies 89 9 Libyan crisis 52 Center Visit of the delegation of the Strategic Studies Center to 10 The tensions in the Korean Peninsula 56 26 90 the Kingdom of Jordan 11 Emergency humanitarian crises 56 Visit of the Turkish Tasam Center to the Strategic Studies 27 91 12 Historical breakthrough 62 Center 13 Expected crises in 2018 64 Participation of the delegation of the Strategic Studies 28 Center in the Works of the Tenth Conference 'the Learned 91 The event of the year Lessons' , New Zealand )Gulf Crisis( Visit of the Strategic Studies Center to the Federal Re- 14 Media attack against the State of Qatar 67 29 public of Russia and the Workshops held with the Russian 91 Severing of the diplomatic relations and imposing of the strategic studies Centers 15 68 blockade Visit of the Strategic Studies Center to the United States 16 List of the alleged claims 71 31 of America and the Workshops held with the American 95 strategic studies Centers 4 5 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER Page The Speech of the Commander Serial Activities Number of the Strategic Studies Center Participation of the Strategic Studies Center in the Works 32 of the Annual Conference of Sophia Center , Republic of 99 Bulgaria Visit of the High Military Academy of Sudan to the Strate- 34 101 gic Studies Center Participation of the Strategic Studies Center in the Eighth 35 102 Nuclear Meeting , Jordan Participations & Internal Research Activities 36 Cooperation with Al-Jazeera Center 105 37 Cooperation with the Arab Center for Research and Policy Study 106 38 Participation in the activities of Brookings Doha Center 106 39 Cooperation with the University of Qatar 107 Staff Brigadier General Dr. Hamad Mohammed Al-Marri Commander of Strategic Studies Center 40 Meeting with the strategist experts 108 Event of the Center Conferences, symposia and workshops The important Strategic Studies Centers are keen to issue an annual strategic report, The Center's Annual Conference on the Turkish -Qatari 37 114 summarising the outcome of their annual activities and briefly present the trends of View on Middle East Issues-March 2017 the public opinion and analysis of the issues of concern. Such reports realize great Preparatory workshop with Tasam Center, Istanbul, Sep- benefit for the stakeholders and the researchers, so that they could learn about the 38 120 tember 2017 developments in some international and regional issues and conflicts, in precise and focused study, as well as their future expectations. In the context of benefiting from Istanbul Security Conference and the Turkish - Gulf De- 39 122 the experience of other research centers, the Center publishes this strategic report, fense and Security Forum, November 2017 which presents the view of the Center on certain strategic and military issues as well 40 Strategic Symposium on lessons learned from the Gulf crisis 122 as the developments in certain crises and conflicts within the strategic environment .of the State of Qatar A Lecture on the Gulf crisis and its future implications - 41 135 .Ahmed Bin Muhammad Military College The Center hopes that this report, which is issued by the Center for the first time, Honouring of the former commanders of the Strategic Studies Center will be useful for researchers who are specialized in military and strategic issues, particularly for the officers and the employees of the Qatari Armed Forces. The Cen- Honouring of the former commanders of the Strategic 42 136 ter further hopes that, this report shall have a distinguished position among the re- Studies Center ports issued by the other research centers. I wish success to everyone. May Allah’s 43 Conclusion of the report 140 .peace, mercy and blessings be upon you all 6 7 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER INTRODDUCTION This report was issued amid successive developments in many international and regional arenas, particularly with existence of the Gulf crisis, which im- posed itself on the crises of the region, given the strategic importance of the Gulf region, in addition to being the first GCC threat from within the system itself and not from outside, as was the case with the events took place during the past years and decades. Therefore, this report singled out a special study under the heading The Event of Year for the Gulf Crisis, wherein the report reviewed the developments in the crisis over the year 2017, specifically since its inception on June 5th, 2017. While the report presents in its first part a sum- mary of some selected military studies, wherein the Center made extensive studies center, in the second part of the report, the Center will briefly address the events and the developments that took place during the year 2017 in some regional and international crises. It will also provide a proactive vision for the Selected military studies future of this crisis for the year 2018. The third and fourth part of the report are devoted for the Strategic Studies Center’s activities at the level of foreign participations and expertise exchange programs as well as the participations and activities with the research centers and academic institutions within the State of Qatar, in addition to seminars, conferences, workshops and lectures held during 2017. This report is based on the accumulated information, views and analysis of the experts of the Center on some issues of concern, and is thereby they are academic assiduity, based on sources of information published and available in all the public sources of information. It is necessary to note that all informa- tion or opinions what are mentioned in this report do not necessarily reflect the vision of the Armed Forces and of the State of Qatar in general, rather they reflect the opinions of the researchers of the Center. 8 9 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 The Annual Strategic Report 2017 ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻻﺳﺘﺮاﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER Introduction 1.
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