Qatar and Collapse

The country of Qatar is in crisis. Land routes into the country have been cut off. 40% of its food came through Saudi Arabia and those roads are closed. Store shelves are empty. The country has only 3 days of drinking water.

What caused this crisis? There are details in the linked BBC article, but basically it's a diplomatic dispute between regional countries.

So picture this from the viewpoint of a Qatari citizen. One day everything is going along fine. The next, for no reason within your control, your country is in crisis. Qatar is heavily dependent on imports. It's land-base can't naturally support more than a tiny fraction if its population.

That's how fast collapse can hit. It doesn't take an earthquake, hurricane, atomic war or cosmic rays from space. All it takes is a few diplomatic missteps.

Now Qatar is a small country in a volatile part of the world. They are like a canary in a coal mile. When things start to go south, it's countries like Qatar that are the first to experience disruptions.

One bright note. Since it is a problem created by diplomatic issues, it could theoretically be resolved rapidly, before things go all Mad Max.

Don't be smug thinking that because you live in a larger country that you are immune from such disruptions. Political idiots can easily destroy countries of any size. Just one threat to be aware of. That's why a general level of preparedness is a good thing. You never know what kind of odd ball threat could come out of left field.

-Sixbears