The roots of the Turkish-Qatari-Ikhwani alliance and its activities in North Africa and the Middle East

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article considers the formation of the Turkish-Qatari-Ikhwani alliance, which attained international prominence and strengthened its leadership position in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) during the events of the Arab Spring. While some researchers posit the formation of this alliance just before the Arab Spring, this study argues that cooperation between Türkiye, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood (al-Ikhwan) has deeper roots, going back to the 1960s. Further, the article argues that the most important factor in the rapprochement between Qatar and Türkiye was their cooperation with the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organisation. Despite the rise of the counterweight Saudi-Emerati alliance, Doha and Ankara continue to play an important role in the region, with the mediation role of Qatar in the context of the renewed conflict between Hamas and Israel a particular focus.