Emergence of Qatar in World Politics
Written by: Arif HasanQatar is located on the northeast side of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the coast of the Persian Gulf. The Persian Gulf lies to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the south, and the Gulf of Bahrain to the west, which separates these two countries. Qatar is a small country with an area of only 11,581 square kilometers and a population of 2,795,484. Qatar gained independence from the United Kingdom on September 13, 1971. Since then, the country has had a constitutional monarchy, with the Emir as the most powerful figure. Although the Al Thani family has been ruling Qatar since 1847, their official rule began when they were called "Hakim." Since independence, Qatar's rulers have been addressed as "Amirs." In that continuity, the current Emir is Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (2013-present).
Qatar shares a 60 km land border with Saudi Arabia. Due to Saudi Arabia being a much larger country, Qatar naturally became dependent on it after gaining independence. This situation persisted until Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani came to power. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the father of the current Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, took power in 1995 through a bloodless coup. Since then, Qatar’s foreign policy has undergone major changes. Qatar gradually reduced its dependence on Saudi Arabia and began to carve out its own identity in the international arena. Al Jazeera was established in 1996 for this purpose. Broadcasting in both English and Arabic, the TV channel has enhanced Qatar’s image worldwide. Qatar also owns beIN Sports, Qatar Airways, hosts various cultural and sporting events, and acts as a mediator in regional conflicts.
Qatar has not only been building its own position but also prioritizing a balanced foreign policy since 1996. Being a small country, Qatar recognized it must align with powerful nations for its survival. The U.S. Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar plays a crucial role in this strategy. It is the largest U.S. airbase in the Middle East and has immense strategic importance. The U.S. has used this base to launch air and drone strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan, making it a vital asset for its Middle Eastern and Central Asian operations.
For Qatar’s security, the Al-Udeid military base is key. Since Qatar cannot easily transform into a military power, its best option has been to rely on alliances with superpowers. Qatar has also shown balance by allowing other countries to build military bases on its land. Besides the U.S. base, Qatar also hosts Turkey’s Tariq Bin Ziyad military base. Additionally, Qatar ranks ninth globally in military equipment and weapons purchases, sourcing most of its weapons from the U.S., UK, France, Russia, Germany, China, and Pakistan.
Recently, Qatar has increasingly acted as a mediator in various global conflicts. It facilitated the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Chad and Sudan in 2009, helped resolve the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea in 2010, and contributed to peace talks between Sudan and Darfur rebels that same year. Qatar also played a key role in the Taliban-U.S. peace talks and has maintained strong relationships with European countries, the U.S., Russia, China, and Turkey. Its decision to grant political asylum to key Hamas leaders further demonstrates its rising influence in the Gulf region.
Despite being a small country in terms of population and military power, Qatar's strength was highlighted when it faced a blockade by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. Even though some of these neighboring countries severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, it managed the situation effectively, strengthening relations with Turkey and Iran during the blockade. This, in turn, bolstered Qatar’s position in the region.
International power is divided into several categories, but the primary ones are hard power, soft power, and smart power. Hard power is when a state achieves its interests through coercion. According to Joseph Nye, hard power is “the ability to use the carrots and sticks of economic and military might to make others follow your will,” and it includes a state's military, economic strength, and size.
Soft power refers to a state’s ability to influence others through information and technology. Countries can spread their influence domestically and internationally by imposing their ideals, culture, and values through media, films, newspapers, and social media. Joseph Nye defines soft power as “a type of power by which a state achieves its interests not through military might, but through attraction and non-aggressive persuasion.”
Smart power is the combination of both hard power and soft power. When a country can effectively use both types of power, it is said to have smart power. For example, the U.S. is considered the best in the world in terms of combining military and technological strength.
In terms of traditional power, Qatar does not qualify due to several factors. First, Qatar is a very small country with an area of only 11,581 square kilometers and a population of 2.3 million, and it has only 66,550 soldiers. Naturally, Qatar falls short when it comes to hard power.
Second, Qatar-based Al Jazeera and other media outlets have helped establish a positive global image of Qatar, but this does not make Qatar a true soft power. Soft power aims to spread a country’s ideals, culture, and thoughts without coercion, and since Qatar does not impose its ideals on others and ranks low in global soft power rankings (after 30th), it doesn’t fit this category either.
The remaining concept is smart power. Since smart power combines both hard and soft power, Qatar cannot be classified under this category either.
Professor Mehran Kamrava addressed this in his book Qatar: Small State, Big Politics, where he introduced the concept of "subtle power" to describe Qatar’s influence. According to Kamrava, Qatar's power is neither hard nor soft but rather subtle. He outlined four key characteristics of subtle power:
Military protection from other states: Qatar relies on external military protection for its security. It hosts a U.S. military base and has a military agreement with the U.S., while also hosting a Turkish military base.
International branding: Qatar has established a strong global brand through Qatar Airways, organizing sports events (such as the 2022 World Cup), media (Al Jazeera and beIN Sports), and conflict mediation.
Presence in world politics: Qatar engages in proactive diplomacy. Examples include the U.S.-Taliban peace talks, offering sanctuary to Hamas political leaders, mediating the Yemen conflict, and maintaining balanced relations with the U.S., China, Russia, Turkey, and Iran.
Global investments: Qatar has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in various countries. It has over $400 billion invested in 40 countries, including $40 billion in the U.S. and UK, $30 billion in France, and $25 billion in Germany. Qatar has invested in Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Barcelona, London Heathrow Airport, and has the second-largest natural gas reserves in the world, along with vast oil reserves.
A key question is why other oil-rich Middle Eastern countries like the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia haven’t achieved the same power as Qatar. Professor Kamrava offers four reasons:
A. Loss of neutrality: Saudi Arabia lost its neutral position in the ongoing Middle Eastern conflicts, particularly in the Yemen crisis, while Qatar has maintained neutrality, filling the void as the "Switzerland of the Middle East."
B. Leadership: Both Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani are highly educated and visionary leaders. They recognize Qatar's small size and population but maximize the use of its natural resources. C. Internal stability: Unlike the power politics in the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, Qatar enjoys greater political stability, which contributes to its strength.
D. Wealth: Qatar's GDP was $175.84 billion in 2020, with a per capita income of $66,421.62. It holds 13% of the world's oil reserves and 14% of the world's natural gas reserves, totaling 886 trillion cubic feet.
In conclusion, despite its small size, Qatar is increasingly making its presence felt in world politics and maintaining strong relationships with global powers. This has made Qatar a unique example of balanced foreign policy in today’s world.
References:
1. Qatar: Small State, Big Politics
Book by Mehran Kamrava
3. https://politicstoday.org/qatar-lng-real-estate-foreign-direct-investments-expand-globally/
4. https://www.statista.com/statistics/379978/gross-domestic-product-gdp-in-qatar/