Embargo in the Context of Hybrid Warfare: A Case Study of Diplomatic Crisis in Qatar

This study intends to examine the embargo as a tool for waging a hybrid war using the example of the Qatar diplomatic crisis. The research suggests that the introduction of an embargo may not only be a legitimate restrictive measure under modern international law, but also a hidden tool for waging hybrid warfare. This study confirms the presence of signs of a hybrid war against Qatar, and that the embargo can act as its tool in modern conditions. Herewith, the example of the Qatar diplomatic crisis does not provide univocal proofs that the measures of trade restrictions taken were precisely the tools of an aggressive hybrid war waged against the country. At the same time, the high level of interconnectedness between the economy of Qatar and the economies of the leading Gulf countries before and after the introduction of the embargo can be considered as one of the factors exacerbating the impact of the embargo and enhancing its role as a tool of hybrid pressure. Against this background, the evidence of the genuine motives for imposing an embargo can serve as a qualifying sign of waging a hybrid war.