Qatar: Doha Files Formal Complaints Against Blockade

Qatar filed sweeping complaints with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on July 31 requesting consultations with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates for their trade boycott against Qatar. Each of the three blockading countries has 10 days to respond to Qatar and must enter consultations within 30 days. If the consultation does not resolve the disputes within 60 days, Qatar can request that the WTO authorize a dispute panel. (In practice, however, the establishment of a panel takes longer than 60 days.) Though WTO rulings are not binding, if a dispute panel rules in Qatar's favor, Qatar can then impose WTO-sanctioned countermeasures that would give it a stronger negotiating position against the blockading states. ...