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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| How Qatar became a global power | How Qatar became a global power |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| In 1995, when Sheikh Hamad deposed his father in a bloodless coup, Doha was a sleepy Gulf town that had traces of its pearl-diving past. Now it is a city of gleaming towers – capital of a tiny country that punches above its weight. | |
| Qatar, the smallest Gulf monarchy, has become a global brand. Securing the 2022 World Cup was a PR triumph. It plans to compete to host the 2024 Olympics. It has a glittering portfolio: Harrods, the Shard, Paris St-Germain football club. Doha's Islamic art museum is a brilliant example of money in the service of high culture. Its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, has $100bn-$200bn assets in 30 countries. Its vice-chairman is the outgoing prime minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim. Qatar is Britain's top supplier of liquefied natural gas. | |
| The TV news channel al-Jazeera, founded in 1996, has been a successful example of "soft power", breaking taboos in a region dominated by state media. But it has lost credibility during the Arab spring by being so openly partisan in support of revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and now Syria. It rarely reports on events in Qatar itself. | The TV news channel al-Jazeera, founded in 1996, has been a successful example of "soft power", breaking taboos in a region dominated by state media. But it has lost credibility during the Arab spring by being so openly partisan in support of revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and now Syria. It rarely reports on events in Qatar itself. |
| As a political player, it hosts offices of the Taliban and Hamas. Until 2009 Doha had an Israeli trade centre – closed after that year's Israeli incursion into Gaza. | |
| The handover is no surprise: "We expect to see the continued emergence of crown prince Sheikh Tamim as more than a figurehead, as his father continues to groom him for the highest office in Qatar," the US embassy noted in a secret 2009 cable released by WikiLeaks. "He will increasingly issue more ... decrees under his own authority and take on more symbolic leadership duties." | The handover is no surprise: "We expect to see the continued emergence of crown prince Sheikh Tamim as more than a figurehead, as his father continues to groom him for the highest office in Qatar," the US embassy noted in a secret 2009 cable released by WikiLeaks. "He will increasingly issue more ... decrees under his own authority and take on more symbolic leadership duties." |
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