Leaving The Sinking Ship

Alhayat is reporting that the political leadership of Hamas will be leaving Damascus for Doha.

If confirmed, this is big news. One of the Syrian regime’s strength was its ability to gain regional leverage by exporting instability. Harboring the political leadership of Hamas in Damascus meant that no peace with the Palestinians can happen without Assad’s approval.

The fact that Qatar is the next home of Khaled Meshaal is also testimony to Qatar’s regional ambitions. The tiny emirate has been playing a very high stakes game in the region and is actively growing its influence using aggressive diplomacy. The Hamas politbureau is only the latest addition to its growing repertoire of key trump cards..