Qatar The Ambitions of a Rich Small Nation Micol Briziobello - Misna

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equality among the Sunni minority and the Shiite majority. Also, it’s important to note that the wave of protests could one day make its way to the rest of the Gulf, after Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. Last February, French newspaper “Le Monde” spoke about Qatar’s leadership ambitions and its greed as seen in its investments throughout the world, given its attempt in imposing itself on the Arab world in a way that some admire, but others find annoying or even concerning. “Le Monde” featured a large report on Qatar in their economy section, claiming that the country “has enormous diplomatic and economic power thanks to its vast amounts of gas reserves, being the world’s leaders in this particular sector”. It’s interesting to note that Qatar’s Prince recently met the mayor of Paris, in which they discussed at length the large number of investments this tiny country can afford. Amongst these, one cannot help but mention the organisation of the Football World Cup in 2022 (which we mentioned before) the purchasing of French football team Paris Saint-Germain and also the billions of dollars invested in the Greek goldmines. Furthermore, Qatar has purchased 5% of the Brazilian bank Santander, considered the leading financial institution in Latin America, as well as the investments in Miramax (Disney) and in Indonesia. The absurdly small size of Qatar allows for its wealth produced within the country to be distributed within it as well, which is not what happens in other countries.
Qatari citizens do not pay tax and they receive from the State: a house, a job and free education in the best universities in the world. Georgetown University has opened a campus in Doha with the presence of Sheikha Moza (the Emir’s second wife) at the new building’s inauguration. Once they are married, Qataris receive other benefits, one of which is a property. Add to all this, roads with 5 lanes surrounded by flowers in the desert, stadiums and colossal sized facilities without having to pay one cent in tax. This is the reason why Qatar is seen as a happy island in a time of rebellion. Even NATO considers Doha, a secure place to discuss the strengthening of its partnership with “ICI”, Istanbul’s Co-operation Initiative, created by NATO in 2004 in an attempt to involve the Gulf nations in issues concerning security in the Middle East. Now, these issues are more pressing, not only because of the continuing fighting, but also to guarantee the security of energy supply channels threatened by pirates in the Aden strait and by changes in the political landscape. It’s not by chance that the Qataris don’t have the slightest urge to protest against their government. The rest of the Middle East is not looking to democracy for a need for equality and civil liberties, but more so because democracy allows for a fairer distribution of a country’s resources and wealth. The Middle East is fascinated by democracy not for its values, but for its ability to generate wealth and redistribute it amongst the whole population.
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Page 7 and 8: oadcaster in Beirut have even annou
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Qatar The Ambitions of a Rich Small Nation Micol Briziobello - Misna

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