Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
UNDERSTAND QATAR
TOP OF CHAPTER
Qatar Today
Benign Dictatorship
Since June 1995 when Sheikh Khalifa al-Thani was replaced as emir by his son Hamad in a
bloodless coup, Qatar has tried to court friendship with odd bedfellows - allowing Americ-
an troops to launch its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan from Qatar, for example, while
courting the Taliban and Hamas. Equally, it has been quick to side with rebels against au-
thoritarian regimes (for example in calling for the resignation of President Assad in Syria)
while failing to implement democratic reform at home.
This dichotomous approach to international and domestic affairs has attracted consterna-
tion among Arab League members and is viewed with apparent exasperation from the
West. But when a country has the world's largest gas fields and is consistently among the
world's three richest countries in per capita terms, there's little appetite for rocking the boat
by pointing out such
inconsistencies.
Besides, the lack of democracy in Qatar has not proved too much of an issue among the
native population. In 2011, Qatar was notable among regional neighbours for the lack of
Arab Spring protests despite having no elected representatives in government and despite
the key government posts being occupied by members of the emir's family. This is not to
say there has been no political reform. Since assuming power, the emir has accelerated the
modernisation of the country through encouraging education and training (in which women
comprise the majority of university students), investing in independent media, and opening
the country to tourism.
AL-JAZEERA TV: THE BLOOM OF A THORN TREE
What Makes Al-Jazeera so Unique?
One of the 'blossoms' produced by the freedom of the press in Qatar in 1995 was the establishment of Al-Jazeera
Independent Satellite TV Channel in November 1996. Free from censorship or government control, it offered re-
gional audiences a rare opportunity for debate and independent opinion, and opened up an alternative perspective
