Bernie Sanders just called out Qatar.
The intent of the presidential candidate's speech Thursday in Washington was to show how his democratic socialist philosophy is actually consistent with core American ideals. But Sanders also addressed foreign policy, specifically in response to the terrorist attack last week in Paris, and he ripped Qatar for pouring billions into the hosting of the 2022 World Cup while doing little in the fight against ISIS:
"It has been reported that Qatar will spend $200 billion on the 2022 World Cup, including the construction of an enormous number of facilities to host that event -- $200 billion on hosting a soccer event, yet very little to fight against ISIS. Worse still, it has been widely reported that the government has not been vigilant in stemming the flow of terrorist financing, and that Qatari individuals and organizations funnel money to some of the most extreme terrorist groups, including al Nusra and ISIS."
"All of this has got to change. Wealthy and powerful Muslim nations in the region can no longer sit on the sidelines and expect the United States to do their work for them. As we develop a strongly coordinated effort, we need a commitment from these countries that the fight against ISIS takes precedence over the religious and ideological differences that hamper the kind of cooperation that we desperately need."
The decision to allow Qatar to stage a World Cup has been soaked in controversy since it was announced in 2011. There have been charges of corruption, and FIFA was criticized for awarding the World Cup when it was obvious the massive construction required would be done essentially by slave labor. More than 4,000 foreign workers are projected to die while building the World Cup infrastructure in Qatar.
The 2022 World Cup will also be held in November and December rather than the traditional months of June and July simply because it is too damn hot to play soccer, let alone watch it, in Qatar where temperatures can reach 120 degrees in the summer.
