3. QATAR SPAT DEEPENS MIDDLE EAST DIPLOMATIC RIFTS

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 that they had severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions on the country, citing Qatar's "supporting terrorism" and "undermining regional security," following which came a multinational declaration of disconnection with Qatar.

Qatar failed to comply with the demands of Saudi Arabia and other countries to cut off relationships with Iran. Instead, it declared a resumption of full diplomatic relations with the country in August.

Qatar's diplomatic storm has caused a serious rift between the Gulf states. Along with the Syria issue, Yemen civil war and Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it reflected the intense game between the United States and Russia in the Middle East and the complexity of struggles between countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.

4. DIPLOMATIC WAR HIGHLIGHTS DIFFICULTY IN MELTING US-RUSSIA RELATIONS

US President Donald Trump on Aug 2 signed a bill that won a sweeping majority vote in both houses of Congress to impose sanctions on Russia, with additional financial sanctions against the country.

Moscow responded to the sanctions by ordering a reduction in the number of US diplomats in Russia. A diplomatic and media warfare has since erupted between the two sides featuring deportation of diplomats, closure of diplomatic institutions and restrictions of media activities.

Influenced by Russia's "election interference," relationship between the United States and Russia has not been picked up through Donald Trump's election in 2017.

The two countries are engaged in an intense game over international hotspot issues including the situations in Ukraine and Syria. The strategic conflict between the two countries has continued unabated, and their relationship seems hard to thaw.