Restlessness in Doha

Qatar: A Modern History

By Allen J. Fromherz, Georgetown University Press, 224 pages, $29.95

Because of a tiny population that is nevertheless led by an ambitious ruling family, the Al Thani, Qatar evokes both envy and contempt. Allen Fromherz, an assistant professor of history at Georgia State University, set out to decipher the sources for both and it is to his credit that he managed to produce a readable introduction to the Shaikhdom.

Largely based on secondary sources, the book does not break new research ground, though that may be nearly impossible when so few original sources exist or are available to researchers. By the author’s own avowal, “a recent call from the National Library for Qataris to deposit their family and tribal archives yielded a disappointing response, although the existence of these archives and oral histories are generally known and they appear occasionally, often in relation to land claims” (p160).

Be that as it may, the study provides interesting insights, which are largely based on the author’s personal experiences. They concentrate on how a nearly barren peninsula was transformed over a very short period of time into the world’s top country in terms of per-capita gross domestic product [estimated at nearly $103,000 (Dh378,010) in 2012 ahead of banking behemoths Liechtenstein and Luxembourg]. Naturally, such immense wealth was due to oil and gas, though Fromherz digs deeper and focuses on the promontory’s history.

The ruling family, the Al Thani, he correctly posits, successfully managed the regional balance of power between a declining Ottoman Empire and the nascent Al Sa‘ud dynasty, and offers very useful in-depth discussions of the 1868 and 1916 treaties with Britain, which the family turned to its advantage. There are also insightful overviews of the major tribes and families that submitted to the dominant force that looked after their interests. In fact, the first four chapters of the book cover these developments with such skill that the reader will, automatically, gain a solid grounding in what makes Qatar tick.

Chapter 5, which tackles independence and Shaikh Khalifa Bin Hamad, addresses internal family squabbles that transformed internecine clashes into a sporting event. No matter how convoluted, the intra-tribal competition that saw Ahmad Bin ‘Ali secure independence was comical, since the good ruler did not even bother to return from his Lebanese vacation to be present for the formal announcement. Khalifa Bin Hamad Bin ‘Abdullah, a cousin, deposed Ahmad in a bloodless coup in 1972. Ostensibly a reformer, Khalifa Bin Hamad nevertheless kept most powers with him, which belied the primus inter pares (first among equals) myth. Then, in 1995, Khalifa was overthrown by his son Hamad, to whom Fromherz devotes his remaining three chapters.

To say that the present ruler is anxious to earn an international spot would indeed be an understatement. Under his leadership, Doha was transformed into a modern city, while the Al Thani catapulted the country to the forefront of regional and global affairs through “Riyal Diplomacy”. Successive mediation efforts between Hamas and Fatah, the fratricide-prone Palestinians, and the equally challenged Lebanese communities who cherished every destructive opportunity that came their way, allowed Doha to shine. Qatar refereed Sudanese factions, reconciled Iraqis, and sent token forces to assist Libyans who opposed Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. They welcomed Israeli officials, authorised the opening of an “Israeli Interest Office” in Doha (temporarily closed in 2009), and even pushed the League of Arab States to replace the Baath regime with the Syrian National Coalition leadership as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people in 2013. Indeed, the tiny Shaikhdom illustrated an astonishing independence, even if that engendered criticisms galore.

While Qatar may be too small to pursue regional and global hegemonic interests, Fromherz correctly argues that the Al Thani face serious dilemmas. Since geography determines any country’s foreign policy, theirs is hostage to three major powers, which will always force Doha to take sides. Any confrontation between Iran and the United States, for example, will require Qatar to evaluate the direction it might pursue. Moreover, as an Arab Gulf State, its security is inherently tied with that of Saudi Arabia and its GCC partners, even if member-states continue to view each other with suspicion despite the settlement of border disputes. As an example, although relations with Bahrain improved after a 2001 international settlement over the Hawar Islands and the Fasht Al Dibal reefs, Manama and Doha carried the historic burden of Bahraini claims on Qatari territories.

Fromherz covers much of these issues and touches on Shaikh Hamad’s internal reform plans, even if most of these were held in abeyance. Still, he praises Doha’s support of the Al Jazeera television network phenomenon, which adds value to the Arab World and addresses controversial debates especially in the present revolutionary period. Even if criticisms of the Al Thani remain taboo, everyone has realised, and Fromherz hammers in, that control from above is a thing of the past.

Dr Joseph A. Kéchichian is the author of the recently published “Legal and Political Reforms in Saudi Arabia” (London: Routledge, 2013).