Much has been made about global democracy by President Joe Biden and his administration. Promoting democracy abroad has been a key pillar of the administration’s foreign policy, best exemplified by the Summit for Democracy, which focused on three key themes: defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights. These are all commendable initiatives; however vague they may be. It is curious, then, why the Biden Administration recently designated Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA). Qatar, a country ruled by an absolute monarch partially based on sharia law, is now slated to become an official military and economic ally of the United States, the self-styled defender of global democracy. One does not usually associate Qatar with any of the three key themes espoused by the host of the Summit for Democracy. In fact, Qatar ranks 114th in the Economist Intelligence’s Democracy Index 2021, ranks even worse in Cato’s Human Freedom Index at 128, and is decidedly “not free” according to Freedom House. Simply put, Qatar has very little in common with liberal democracy.

So why exactly has the Biden Administration, the same administration that touts democracy as paramount to its foreign policy, decided to establish closer ties to a country that is so clearly at odds with democratic values? The answer is that in Washington, dubious “security interests” will always trump other interests, including global democracy and human rights.

While it does not guarantee a security commitment, being an MNNA is not a distinction without a difference. Among the many benefits, the most significant are access to U.S.-owned war reserve stockpiles, eligibility for priority delivery of U.S.-owned Excess Defense Articles, the ability to purchase uranium ammunition, and the ability to bid for non‑U.S. supplied maintenance of U.S. defense articles.

From a capability perspective, Qatar gaining MNNA status ensures that it will have access to higher quality weapons for lower prices. Qatar, already the 20th largest recipient of U.S. weapons since 2009, will now have even greater access to America’s military technology. This is especially problematic when considering Qatar’s participation in the Yemen conflict, previous support for Hamas and the Taliban, and its close ties with Iran, Russia, and the Assad regime in Syria – all things in direct conflict with U.S. security interests.

Beyond the security benefits, there is also a diplomatic benefit for Qatar. Receiving MNNA status signals that the U.S., at the very least, tolerates Doha’s problematic practices. Among them are the country’s previous support for terrorist organizations and rampant human rights violations in the form of forced labor.

Qatar’s track record of supporting terrorist and terrorist-harboring groups includes Hamas, the Taliban, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and the al-Nusra Front in Syria. These facts have not deterred the U.S. from sending weapons to Qatar in recent history. In 2012, the Obama Administration authorized secret shipments of weapons to Doha intended to support the NATO mission in Libya. As the war developed, the administration learned that these weapons were given to terrorists. Despite that, the U.S. continued to authorize over $10 billion in sales to Qatar in the following two years.

It is true that there is no historical evidence of these weapons being used in terrorist attacks against the U.S. Yet, this signals that Washington tolerates its partners’ support for organizations that actively fight U.S. interests so long as that partner is willing to line the pockets of U.S. weapons manufacturers.

This boost to international recognition is even more problematic when considering Qatar’s record with slavery. While the practice of slavery is technically illegal in Qatar, practices eerily similar to slavery, including servitude, are not. Indeed, they are practiced quite regularly, especially with foreign nationals. Migrant workers’ passports are reportedly confiscated, allowing employers to entirely control a worker’s ability to stay in and leave the country. They often work 14-hour shifts, seven days a week, and are frequently paid late, if ever at all. While technically not legally endorsed slavery, the practice of trapping workers in a country and forcing them to work in inhumane conditions is about as close as one can get to it.

The consequences of these practices are best demonstrated by the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In December 2010, Qatar was awarded the opportunity to host the tournament – the largest sporting event in the world – in scandalous fashion. As of February 2021, nearly 7,000 migrant workers have perished in infrastructure projects for the tournament. Given that a full year has passed since that statistic has been updated, the number is undoubtedly higher. Making matters worse, prior to President Biden’s designation of Qatar as an MNNA, Washington agreed to support Qatar’s security prior to and during the tournament. Despite all these affronts to global democracy and human rights, the U.S. is doubling down on its relationship with Qatar.

The United States’ recent declaration making Qatar a Major Non-NATO Ally is simply confounding. Washington is allowing a country that supports terrorists and engages in blatant human rights abuses to have access to some of the best U.S.-made weapons available. For a country that has criticized and opted to diplomatically boycott the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the U.S. is contradicting itself and the supposed values of the Biden Administration’s foreign policy.