Why Qatar’s new young emir will be just like the old one

Araminta Wordsworth | 13/06/27

KARIM SAHIB / MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH / AFP / Getty Images    Emirs old and new

Full Comment’s Araminta Wordsworth brings you a daily round-up of quality punditry from across the globe.  Today: At home they are seen as benevolent rulers who preside over their stupendously rich postage stamp of a country with justice, wisdom and mercy — apart from a few pesky dissenters and human rights observers.


Abroad, they are perceived as irresponsible meddlers, supporting terrorist organizations like Hamas, while chiding others like Hezbollah for interfering in the affairs of other countries. It is therefore par for the course they should allow the Taliban to open an office in their territory.

Meanwhile, there are questions about their treatment of dissenters, along with worries about the lack of democracy and the exploitation of foreign workers, mainly from Asia.

Oh, they also like soccer and host a U.S. military command centre and several  bases.
The “they” in question is the royal house of Qatar, whose emir  announced this week he was stepping down in favour of his son. Though there is little expectation of change in policy, the move has been hailed rapturously by the local press – for obvious reasons. Here’s a report by Ayman Adly in the Gulf Times.

The smooth and voluntary transfer of power by HH Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to HH Sheik Tamim bin Hamad  al-Thani is unprecedented in the history of the Arab world, particularly the Gulf region,  Dr Mohamed al-Misfar, professor of political science at Qatar University, said. ….

[He added] there was a consensus among many politicians, sociologists, mediapersons and university professors in the Gulf region that HH the Emir Sheik Tamim bin Hamad is an amiable and much loved personality. He also enjoys a deep perspective in discussing all issues of the area … HH Sheik Hamad had been always frank and transparent with his people, indicating that he was a pioneer and exemplary as he thanked his people as he quit, while other rulers cling to their seats despite the rejection of their people.

Al Jazeera, another Qatari mouthpiece albeit one with more pretence at independence, offers a hagiographic evaluation from British academic Larbi Sadiki.

Qataris are being spared the pitfalls and uncertainties of the modus operandi surrounding the historically opaque and fractious transfer of power. In a palpable sense, Emir Hamad has broken with tradition. Rather than staying put and becoming enamoured with the trappings of power, he has envisioned the bigger picture. Such an act of moral courage has created a firewall of sorts against the typical cloak and dagger machinations of would-be heirs so common in the region.

Without a doubt, the emir’s wide horizon has enabled him to cast his sight beyond the immediate short-term.

Outside commentators have a far-less rosy view. In a bracing column for Bloomberg News, Jeffrey Goldberg describes Qatar as an inveterate meddler.

Many Arab leaders think that Qatar’s leadership is motivated by three basic interests. The first is that Qatar’s [resigning] emir actually feels sympathy for Islamists. The second is that despite this sympathy, he understands that the best guarantor of his continued rule in his unhappy neighbourhood is the permanent presence of the American military on his territory. The third is that Qatar will support — out of competitiveness, spite and jealousy – whatever Saudi Arabia, its much larger neighbour, opposes.
The ultimate explanation for Qatar’s behaviour, however, may be that the country is essentially an attention-starved teenager, whose emotional insecurity causes it to insert itself into everyone’s business.

In addition, notes Jane Kinnimont, a researcher at the British think-tank Chatham House and BBC contributor,

Pressure for political change has been limited. Since at least 2004, the authorities have been promising their people a parliament. It hasn’t happened yet, and most Qataris don’t seem too bothered.  But there is an increasingly glaring contrast between Qatar’s support for revolutions abroad and Qataris’ lack of representation at home …
Most Qataris seem content with their leaders. But it is also risky for them to say otherwise — as has been shown by the recent case of Mohammed al-Ajami, a poet who has been sentenced to life in prison for a poem deemed “insulting” to the emir.

In a thoroughly meddling mood, Hisham Jaber, a retired Lebanese army general, blames the Americans. Interviewed by Iran’s Press TV, he opined,

[I]t is not a matter of [the] young generation [taking over] and let me tell you something. Despite the official statements said that Sheik Hamad had to leave the power for medical reasons and health problems, many observers believe that it is not a domestic decision, it is behind Qatar and Americans are behind this decision.

compiled by Araminta Wordsworth
awordsworth@nationalpost.com