This article details growing uncertainty in Germany over whether the government should stop selling armaments to Qatar in exchange for LNG, due to Qatar’s negative human rights record and suspected harbouring of Hamas members.
This is not the only deal of its kind, as both the US and the UK have similar deals with Saudi Arabia, which has similarly been criticised. This should be considered in the context following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, many European nations were scrambling to find replacement sources of natural gas. Oil rich Middle Eastern nations were seen as viable sources; there was also the element of immediacy given soaring gas prices. Moral questions, it could be said, were not particularly factored in; Europe also was not a new customer of Middle Eastern gas.
Should we stop the selling of arms to countries with questionable human rights records?
- Yes, it is morally objectionable
- No, there are benefits