Seeing now multiple television personalities ran off air does give a certain "Hollywood Blacklist" vibe

It still is. The 'enemy' died, the (manufactured) fear didn't.

You’re getting downvoted but it’s true. If you don’t mourn who the state deems you to mourn your suspicious and thousands of people will attempt to get you fired.

If you criticize the current government, you’re an agitator.

If you think something that is in opposition to the current administration, your a socialist commie

During the Cold War the Russians were quite happy to fund protests everywhere especially on college campuses which are easy targets. But that was a super power influencing things.

This time around its this weird micro nation with 300K people that has got it into its head, it can exert global influence by throwing oil money around. But this is not the football world cup. Historically there are really no examples of such small countries exerting so much influence before it is all shut down by larger powers.

Expect ofcourse with the Vatican. But that is centralized religion with "citizenship" across borders. Qatar meanwhile barely has enough people to defend a town, and already experienced a backlash in 2017 with a blockade. This is the second round. Watch them retreat back to sports by the end of the decade.

Small countries and Geopolitical Power are not compatible.