Qatar’s Global-Local Nexus: From Soft to Nested Power? (original) (raw)

Qatar: A First-Hand Account of Soft Power

2014

The focus of this short article is to provide readers with an insight into the political significance of Doha’s socio-cultural environment. It seeks to bridge, on the one hand, the first-hand accounts of Qatar written on various blogs, webpages and discussion forums and, on the other, the academic accounts which have mostly been written ‘from afar’. More specifically, we look to provide readers with a first-hand account of Doha’s central attractions and, in doing so, critically evaluate how Qatar’s soft power is perceived. Our insight emerges from field work conducted in Qatar during a ten-day stay in December 2013, where we visited Doha’s many cultural attractions, stayed in two of its state-of-the-art hotels, and gained an insight into some of techniques Qatari authorities are drawing on in a bid to raise the tourist significance of the country. At the same time, the article seeks to illustrate the potential value of observational methods in providing a lived ‘reading’ of global cities.

Qatar's rising international influence: a case of soft power?

Conjuntura Internacional, 2016

The Arab uprisings have changed the regional order of the Arab world. As traditional leading powers like Iraq, Syria and Egypt have lost influence in the Middle East due to internal security issues and economic difficulties, a few states were able to take advantage of the recent regional turmoil. Seemingly, the mini-state Qatar has managed to benefit from the uprisings more than any other Arab state. Many IR authors explain this phenomenon with the concept of soft power. This paper tests systematically the validity of the soft power argument by examining three " soft power resources " as defined by Joseph Nye: culture, political values, and foreign policies. It is argued that the soft power concept fails in all three aspects to grasp the nature of Qatar's regional and international influence. Instead, it is suggested to consider Qatar's 'hard power' potentials which define more accurately the actual international influence of the Gulf state.

Qatar: The World's Soft Superpower

2023

In geopolitics, states act according to their constraints, such as geography, demography, resources, economics, and domestic politics. Traditionally, small nations used to be more vulnerable to regional conflicts due to their lack of power projection options. Often, they were in a position to align themselves with the dominant player or be absorbed. However, in the modern era, small nations have more cards to play in the geopolitical landscape. The traditional power

The Rise of Qatar as a Soft Power and the Challenges

This paper argues that Qatar exercises soft power influence in a troubled region via attraction and " carrots ". The sources of attraction includes: Qatar's political stability derived from its military alliance with the U.S and effective income redistribution policies and a progressive higher education system which have greatly enhanced the stature of Qatar in the Middle East. Qatar offers the following " carrots " for influence: the potency of its Aljazeera Network, " carrot diplomacy " , sports investments and a generous foreign aid policy. However, the efficacy of these tools could be undermined, by the lack of a democratic culture in Qatar, questionable associations and causes, the unsustainable trajectory of " carrot " diplomacy and a creeping shift towards hard power in resolving conflicts and its attendant backlash.

Qatar - Small State, Big Politics (Book Review)

Insight Turkey, 2019

Gaining independence from Britain in 1971 and enjoying enormous oil and natural gas resources, Qatar has exerted extraordinarily large influence both in terms of regional and international politics and the economy in recent years. Mehran Kamrava, professor and director of the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar, has authored several books on the international relations of the Middle Eastern states. In Qatar: Small State, Big Politics, Kamrava presents the dynamics that explain the background of Qatar’s disproportionate international power.

Qatar: The strange fall guy for the regional counterrevolution

Syrian Revolution Commentary and Analysis, 2017

Qatar-a tiny piece of fabulously wealthy real estate run by an emir as an absolute monarchy, relying even more than most of the other Gulf states on the large-scale exploitation of migrant labour - an icon of revolution in the Middle East? Hardly. Yet that doesn't alter the fact that it is now the fall guy for the regional counterrevolution. It is an unfortunate reality that, in today's Middle East, calling a particular state " reactionary " is mere tautology, and within that context, it is possible for some to push ahead here or there in a slightly more progressive direction than others.