Qatar - National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce

I N T E R V I E W
Joseph E. LeBaron
U.S. Ambassador to Qatar
Your diplomatic career began in Doha in
1980, and in 2008, you returned to Qatar
as the U.S. Ambassador. Qatar is now one of
the world’s richest countries, and one of the
most forward thinking. Did you foresee this
remarkable growth in Qatar?
In my experience as a diplomat and given
my background in the region for the last 40
years, the clear vision of Qatar’s leadership is
striking in terms of where it wants to take the
country. Qatar has the resources to achieve
its National Vision 2030, and this is a rare
combination when you want to make a big
difference. Qatar has been able to take its
position as a small country with large energy
reserves and translate that into economic,
social and cultural success.
The high level of capital spending Qatar is
making in scientific R&D, education reform,
and innovation are setting the foundation of
the future and will certainly help diversify its
economy. To my mind, Qatar is making the
right investments, because innovation and
education are vital in the global struggle for
economic prosperity.
What are your priorities as the U.S. Ambassador
to Qatar?
My priorities are to lead this mission in a synchronized
effort of engagement with Qatar.
By engagement, I refer to the full spectrum of
government-to-government activities, including
economic, political, military, social, and
cultural. It will be a very good thing for the
fastest growing economy and for the world’s
largest economy to be able to sit down and
to compare notes on goals and aspirations,
to seek greater transparency, and to enhance
communication and friendship. We ought to
be doing more of this. My hope is that with
the Emir’s most recent visit to the United
States, we will be able to put the relationship
on an even more positive trajectory.
What role might the U.S. Embassy in Doha
play in promoting entrepreneurship in Qatar
and, in general, what bilateral trade and
investment opportunities do you see for Small
and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in
Qatar and the United States?
The U.S. Embassy has worked diligently to
support private-sector development among
the small and medium-sized enterprises in
Qatar. A cabinet-level official will be leading
a trade delegation to Qatar focused on
multi-modal transportation and infrastructure
later this year.
In the coming months, my Embassy will
partner with the Attorney General of Qatar
to organize a workshop for the Qatari private
sector, featuring experts from the Qatari government,
private sector, Commerce Department,
and the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP). The workshop will focus
on best practices for private sector integrity,
highlighting Qatar as the gold standard for
the GCC and wider Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) region.
In addition, the Embassy is frequently recruiting,
organizing and leading official trade delegations
for Qatari SMEs to attend U.S. exhibitions so
that they can source our finest technologies and
solutions across a range of industries.
“American companies are
well-positioned to play a large
role in supporting Qatar’s
World Cup 2022 infrastructure
projects, especially on the
program management and
construction management side.
When you consider the time
and quality factors at play for
these mega -projects, U.S firms
have a track record of delivering
world-class projects on time,
on budget, and on benefit.”
For a list of the leading export and investment
opportunities in Qatar, please visit our
Country Commercial Guide, chapter 4: Leading
Sectors for U.S. exports and investment.
www.buyusa.gov/qatar/en/ccg2010.pdf
What advocacy role can American companies
expect the U.S. Embassy to play in helping
these companies to win contracts in the runup
to World Cup 2022?
My Embassy is absolutely committed to help
American companies take advantage of these
opportunities, to proactively advocate for them
on major contracts, and to facilitate the full
range of U.S.-Qatar partnerships. Whenever
we see strategic opportunities for these partnerships,
we marshal the full resources of the
U.S. Government to realize them.
American companies are well positioned to
play a large role in supporting Qatar’s World
Cup 2022 infrastructure projects, especially
on the program management and construction
management side. When you consider
the time and quality factors at play for these
megaprojects, U.S. firms have a track record
of delivering world-class projects on time, on
budget, and on benefit.
Qatar is the fourth largest U.S. export
destination in the Arab world. Two-way
trade between the United States and Qatar
expanded more than 340 percent since 2003
and U.S. exports of goods and services have
surged from $454 million in 2003 to $4.68
billion in 2010. Will this trade continue to
grow in the coming years?
Qatar is entering a period of rapid growth,
and it has set a target of transitioning to a
knowledge-based economy as part of its National
Vision 2030. In order to get there, it has been
adopting and applying world-class standards
and technology. The evidence shows that
American standards and technology are the
preferred choice, and we expect this trend to
continue in the coming years. As Qatar moves
ahead with its ambitious mega-infrastructure
projects, I see it ramping up further capital
spending in the next decade.
For U.S. companies, this means more opportunities
in the fields of engineering and
design/build services, construction equipment,
information technologies, health care technologies,
machinery, transportation equipment,
and much more.
Last year, U.S. exports to Qatar jumped by
16 percent from $2.7 billion to $3.1 billion,
making it one of the fastest growing market
continued on page 46
US-Arab Tradeline • Spring 2011 11