Qatar Awareness Campaign – Brookings Institution

October 12, 2014

Mr. Strobe Talbott
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036

Dear Mr. Strobe Talbott:

This letter is being sent to you on behalf of the Qatar Awareness Campaign Coalition.  The purpose is to inform you and the public of the activities of Qatar, the country who is the single biggest foreign donor to the Brookings Institution.  The New York Times penned an article in September that outlines the influence of foreign governments through the stealth funding of think tanks in the United States. The Brookings Institution was singled out as one entity receiving such funding.

Since 2008, Brookings Doha Center has operated in Qatar. The Brookings Doha Center International Advisory Council is co-chaired by H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani, former prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the State of Qatar and yourself.  The Center maintains a reputation for policy impact and cutting-edge, field-oriented research on socioeconomic and geopolitical issues facing the broader Middle East, including relations with the United States. Brookings has ties directly to the White House, has connections within our military and influences a wide range of power brokers within the United States.

With Qatar’s long financial reach and deep pockets, their connections to and financing of terror groups such as Hamas are great areas of concern. Former US envoy Martin Indyk, John Kerry’s Middle East peace envoy, in his capacity as Vice President and Director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, was involved in recent negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, a definite conflict of interest since Qatar is widely known to fund terror in the West Bank – specifically, Hamas.  It is noteworthy that according to the US Department of State, Qatar has the worst counterterrorism record in the Middle East – worse than even Iran.  

In light of these clear and present security risks, we urge you to read the information below, which includes evidence that Qatar is arguably the preeminent sponsor of terror in the world today.  It is a benefactor of the genocidal armies of ISIS, al Qaeda, and Boko Haram; it is involved in Taliban narcotics trafficking through a relationship with the Pakistani National Logistics Cell; and profits from operating a virtual slave state.  Qatar has leveraged its relationships with violent Jihadi groups to its own benefit, and to the detriment of the United States and her allies.

So the public has a fuller context of the Brookings Institution’s role in impacting US policies and research on socioeconomic and geopolitical issues facing the broader Middle East, and their footprint in Doha, here are some pertinent facts:

• One year after 9/11, the US decided to form a closer relationship with Qatar and form outreach programs. The Brookings Institution – a preeminent think tank based in Washington, DC – founded the US-Islamic World Forum (US-IWF) with the nation of Qatar.
• The Brookings Institution is a major recipient of overseas funds, producing policy papers, hosting forums and organizing private briefings for senior United States government officials that typically align with the foreign governments’ agendas.
• In 2014, Qatar has pledged a $14.8 million, four-year donation to Brookings and it will help finance Brookings Doha Center in Qatar and its project on US relations with the Islamic world.
• An anonymous donor at Brookings, with ties to the Turkish government, made a strong statement to a scholar there who made critical statements about Qatar by suspending their support and their money.

The QAC Coalition and petitioners ask that you consider the attached sourced report on Qatar’s activities.  The links cited are vetted and credible sources.  We hope you take the time to verify the truth of the statements for yourself.

After doing so, the Coalition of the Qatar Awareness Campaign calls on you to exert due influence on the Qatari government to cease any type of involvement in all forms of Islamic terrorism, slavery and drug trafficking!

Sincerely,

Qatar Research Report: http://www.stopqatarnow.com/p/research-report.html
Sign the Petition! Visit www.stopqatarnow.com
Facebook: Stop Qatar Now
Twitter: @stopqatarnow

Select signatures as of 9/27. The Qatar Awareness Campaign Coalition is comprised of more than 25 journalists, national security experts, publishers, and independent researchers. To view all Coalition participants, please visit the Campaign’s website.

CC: David M. Rubenstein and John L. Thornton, Co-Chairs of the Brookings Board of Trustees.  Media Inquiries/Events.