Will Changing of the (Political) Guard Bring Reform to Qatar?

Doug Bandow The U.S. is the colossus which bestrides the globe, but Qatar is the pipsqueak which dominates the Middle East.  That’s a slight overstatement, but the tiny kingdom of Qatar has been destabilizing other nations.  There’s a new emir who would best concentrate on freeing his own people. Qatar is barely 40 years old.  For the last 18 years it was ruled by Hamad bin Khalifi al-Thani, who ousted his father in a palace coup.  Sheikh Hamad created the television channel, Al Jazeera, and annually hosted the annual Doha Forum.  I attended the internationally renowned gabfest in May, which afforded world-class networking possibilities for anyone in business, politics, and journalism. Most dramatic has been Doha’s attempt to implement a big power foreign policy.  It gained a reputation for attempting to mediate regional disputes.  Along the way Qatar became a major U.S. ally, hosting bases for American troops. More dramatically, Sheikh Hamad directly challenged the governments of Moammar Qaddafi and Bashar al-Assad.  In Syria Doha is supplying cash and weapons to Syrian rebels.  Ironically, the emir had once been close to Syria’s al-Assad.  In contrast, Qatar has worked to prevent change closer to home, especially in Bahrain.  As I noted in my new article on National Interest online: This aggressive policy carries obvious risks.  “Qatar’s recent moves to ‘take sides’ during the Arab Spring revolutio...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs