LONDON: Qatar, the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, is a global investment powerhouse, a growing force in international media and sport, and a financial backer of Arab Spring revolts.
Diplomats said this month the Emir was considering an orderly transfer of power that would probably begin with the departure of the prime minister and foreign minister, Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasim Al Thani, 53.
Arab and Western diplomats said they understood the motive was the Emir’s desire to have a smooth transition to a younger generation. They said they expected the reshuffle to take one of two courses – either Shaikh Tamim would replace Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasim as the prime minister until he takes over as Emir when his father eventually steps down, or the deputy prime minister, Ahmed Al Mahmoud, would become the next prime minister when Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasim steps aside.
Shaikh Hamad Bin Jassim has been prime minister since 2007 and has played a key role in positioning Qatar as a powerbroker in the region. He is also chairman of the board of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), a position he is expected to retain. QIA has estimated assets of between $100 billion (Dh368 billion) and $200 billion.
TheEmir has elevated the country’s international profile in recent years through the launch and development of the Al Jazeera television network, as well as its successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
Qatar has played a substantial role in promoting the Arab Spring, lending significant support to rebels who ousted former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and to the uprising seeking to topple the Syrian president, Bashar Al Assad.
It has also hosted a delegation of the Afghan Taliban, which opened an office in Doha last week in preparation for an expected revival of talks with the United States.
Other political crises and wars Qatar has tackled include Yemen, Somalia, Lebanon, Darfur and the Palestinian territories, often hosting peace talks on its own soil to try to prove it can punch above its weight in international diplomacy.
Shaikh Tamim is only 33. But Eman Ebed Al Kadi of Eurasia Group consultants wrote that she did not expect Qatari domestic priorities or foreign policy to change significantly with a change of ruler.
“Tamim has controlled key policies in Qatar for some time, and shares his father’s views on political development in Qatar and economic diversification,” she wrote.
