[91B]

Qatar provides us with access to their airfields and ports so that we can rotate troops and equipment out of Afghanistan and fly air support over Iraq. We have largely been able to abandon our bases in Saudi Arabia due to their help (sending a not-so-subtle message to King Fahd and company). Qatar is in fact the primary port for missions in Afghanistan-not Pakistan (from here by air to Bagram).

I have no idea what sort of political maneuvering brought Yandarbiyev to Doha, but better here(where he can be watched and we can learn from his activities) than in Chechnya. We might want to send a reassuring message to such a valuable ally that if another nation violates their sovreignty we will stand by them-as they have stood by us (I doubt if doing so was an easy decision for them) we might also want to send a message to the Ruskies that this is our sphere of influence and they can butt out. Sorry if this is more subtle than you would like in your foreign policy.

[Destro]

I repeat - if the war in Iraq means we have to give an al-Qaeda honcho a pass because he is a guest of an ally for said Iraq war then the Iraq war is indeed a boone to al-Qaeda.

[A. Pole]

I have no idea what sort of political maneuvering brought Yandarbiyev to Doha, but better here(where he can be watched and we can learn from his activities) than in Chechnya.

Or protected for future use back in Chechnya? Well, he is gone to his meeting with the 72 virgins (unless Russian put some pork in his vehicle).