How Qatar and Turkey came together

WHEN TURKEYNATO looks around its region, it sees angry faces. Many Arab states view the Islamism of its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as a threat. The European Union is unhappy with Turkey for instigating a row over drilling rights in the Mediterranean. America, a ally with troops in Turkey, has imposed sanctions on it, most recently for buying a Russian air-defence system. Yet Turkey doesn’t even get on that well with Russia, which has bombed its allies in Libya and Syria.At least Turkey has Qatar. The seeds of their friendship were planted in the early 2000s, when Turkish contractors poured into Doha, Qatar’s capital, to help with a building boom. Since then the countries have drawn closer, spurred on by ideology, business and isolation. Turkey, which is big and cash-strapped, counts on Qatar for financial support; Qatar, which is small and rich, relies on Turkey for protection.