Qatar: A Rising Player in Middle Eastern Affairs
14 February 2013
In this article, the Atlantic Community's Nial Mulchincock discusses the
growing regional influence of Qatar – a small state which directly supported
the overthrow of Libya's Muammar Ghadaffi and is now permitting the Syrian
opposition to stage a series of strategy and coordination meetings in Doha.
By Niall Mulchinock for Atlantic-community.org
_____
Since the outbreak of the Arab Spring at the end of 2010, the Emirate of
Qatar has been successful in shaping regional responses to political
instabilities in North Africa and the Middle East. While the population of
Qatar is about 1.9 million, the country holds the world's third-largest
natural gas reserves and is strategically positioned between Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates. The country has gained a reputation for being
a significant regional power broker because of its involvement in the Libyan
and Syrian conflicts. The current emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani,
has stridently worked to heighten Qatar's position in the Arabian Peninsula
since he came to power after deposing his father in a bloodless coup d'état
in 1995.
The emir played a major role in the establishment of Al Jazeera in 1996.
Headquartered in Doha, Al Jazeera was the Arab-world's first 24-hour news
channel. The news channel gained particular prominence from its reporting on
the internal situations in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. Along with social
media organisoutlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, Al Jazeera was
exceptional in its exposure of these weak and sclerotic regimes,
particularly in Tunisia and Egypt.
As Western countries began to turn against the omnipotent rule of Colonel
Muammar el-Qaddafi, the emir was one of the first Arab leaders to lend his
support to the international military coalition to remove Qaddafi from
power. Qatari jets took part in the UN-imposed no-fly zone. In addition,
Qatar provided the Libyan opposition with military funding. With the
takeover of the Qaddafi compound in Tripoli, a Qatari flag was seen flying
over one of the buildings, indicating the Libyan opposition's gratitude to
their allies in Doha. Today, the Syrian opposition continues to hold the
majority of their meetings in the Qatari capital, emphasising Thani's
aversion to President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Damascus.
As internal instabilities engulf countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, Qatar
is also increasingly trying to gain regional influence in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In October 2012, the emir paid a historic
visit to Gaza, becoming the first head of state to be received by Hamas
since it took power in 2007. During this trip, Thani pledged $400 million to
build two housing projects, repair three main roads, and create a prosthetic
center among other projects in the Gaza Strip. These initiatives again
underline Qatar's success in straddling competing interests in the region.
Qatar is able to maintain relations with a regime that is deemed a terrorist
organisation by the Unites States while, at the same time, maintaining
excellent relations with President Barack Obama and European leaders.
Outside of current regional tensions, the Qatar Foundation, since its
establishment in 1995, has become one of the most preeminent educational and
scientific institutions in the Arabian Peninsula, establishing a number of
outreach initiatives in Europe and North America. In conclusion, while Qatar
is unlikely to be affected by internal political instabilities in the Middle
East, Qatar has continually tried to influence and shape the altered
political environment that has emerged over the past two years.
_____
For additional reading on this topic please see:
<
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?id=141276&l
ng=en> The Rise of Qatar
<
http://isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?fecvnodeid=1186
16&groupot593=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&dom=1&fecvid=33&ots591=0c
54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&lng=en&v33=118616&id=139434> Qatar and
the Arab Spring
<
http://isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?fecvnodeid=1186
16&groupot593=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&dom=1&fecvid=33&ots591=0c
54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&lng=en&v33=118616&id=141961> Qatar and
Europe's Neglect of the Gulf Region
<
http://isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?fecvnodeid=1186
16&groupot593=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&dom=1&fecvid=33&ots591=0c
54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-a6a8c7060233&lng=en&v33=118616&id=118429> Qatar:
Background and US Relations
<
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en>
<
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itupictures/6812879554/>
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, courtesy of
itupictures/flickr.
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Received on Thu Feb 14 2013 - 15:07:49 EST
