In March, in an unprecedented move, three Arab Gulf states Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar. This move reflected a break with the Gulf monarchies’ tradition of behind-the-scenes conflict management.This move seems to have had one objective: To send a strict message to Qatar and to all players in the region outlining new “red lines”. The three countries were clearly willing to do whatever it takes to protect their interests.

via Resolving the Gulf crisis — www.aljazeera.com.