Qatar Archives - Systems Thinking: Integrated Knowledge in Research, Learning, and Practice

Title

Qatar's foreign policy: the limits of pragmatism

Author

Lina Khatib

Institution

Stanford University

Discipline/Approach...

Analytical, Journal article, Political Science

Abstract

Qatar has become an Arab country with a high international profile and an ambitious foreign policy, particularly as a result of its role in the Arab Spring. It has cultivated a reputation as a political mediator and a key source of foreign aid. Following the Libyan uprising, Qatar demonstrated further political adaptability in leading regional action against the Gaddafi regime. However, this foreign policy does not appear to be built on long-term planning, but rather seems centred on opportunism and promiscuity as Qatar engages with multiple, often clashing, actors and plays the role of political maverick in the Middle East. This article assesses the key components of Qatari foreign policy, as well as public diplomacy, highlighting the potential implications of the lack of a coherent foreign strategy for the country, both on the domestic and external fronts. Domestically, Qatar faces increasing pressure for reform and the prospect of instability, both catalyzed by high centralization of decision-making with regard to Qatari policy. Externally, it risks overextending its network of political partners to involve potentially volatile actors, losing the credibility of its public diplomacy messages, and subsequently, international scepticism towards its foreign policy motives. Those domestic and external factors highlight the limits of relying on pragmatism in Qatari foreign policy and the need for long-term strategy if Qatar is to maintain its leadership role in the Middle East.

Title

Qatar and the Arab Spring: Down the Foreign Pol...

Author

Mohammed Nuruzzaman

Institution

Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST)

Discipline/Approach...

Analytical, Journal article, Political Science

Abstract

Qatar, a backwater state in regional and international politics until 1995, has in recent years pursued a high-profile foreign policy in the areas of dispute mediation, maintaining balanced relations with allies and adversaries alike, adept use of soft power tools, and even military interventions in fellow Arab states, Libya in particular, to aid the Arab pro-democracy forces. This high-profile foreign policy has aimed at strengthening Qatar’s national security in the Gulf neighborhood and playing a more pro-active role in the Arab world. This article examines Qatar’s activist foreign policy role in the Arab Spring and probes whether such a role is sustainable in the future in view of the constraints Qatar faces at home, in the Gulf neighborhood and beyond. It concludes that Qatar, as a tiny state, has little choice other than strike out a balance between its oversized foreign policy role and the imperatives of regional and international realities.

Title

Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar and Dispute Med...

Author

Mohammed Nuruzzaman

Institution

Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST)

Discipline/Approach...

Analytical, Journal article, Political Science

Abstract

This paper investigates the role played by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in mediating disputes since its creation in 1981 to 2011, the year of the outbreak of the ‘Arab Spring’. It analyzes the contributions of the GCC as a conﬂict mediator by crosschecking this sub-regional group’s institutional structure and policy approach, and presents two major ﬁndings. Firstly, the GCC was hardly designed as a conﬂict mediator, given that the Gulf Arab states created it as a vehicle to respond to intra-Gulf and external security threats and challenges. Secondly, in order to promote its foreign policy independence and boost its regional and global diplomatic proﬁle to ensure its security and survival in the dangerous environment of the Gulf region, it is Qatar that has extensively attempted to mediate conﬂicts in Lebanon, Yemen and Sudan, with varying degrees of success, under the banners of the GCC and the Arab League. Finally, the paper presents a series of policy recommendations, based on critical insights from Qatari mediation experiences, to enable the GCC to be a proactive dispute mediator.