Comment: How strong are relations between US and Qatar?

Qatar is America's new "best friend" in the Gulf region. A country with a small population that prides itself in intrinsic miracle-making capabilities, Qatar has much to offer, even if outsiders mostly see deep financial pockets. Investments in education and leisure are galore but little of what else is taking place on the promontory is noticed. Will Qataris succeed in shaping perceptions th-an others frame?

When, in the summer of 2003, Washington decided to redeploy a US Air Force Wing out of Prince Sultan Air Base - near Al Kharj in Saudi Arabia - to Al Udaid Air Base in Qatar, many interpreted this as a sign of American displeasure with Riyadh. Others congratulated themselves on their newly found replacement.

In one of the more comical moments of the summer - as the search for WMDs reached a high tempo - Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul D. Wolfowitz maintained that the trumpeted reason was a "bureaucratic fudge." The real reason for war, he posited, was to shift US military bases from Saudi Arabia.

In the post 9/11 environment, as most things that pertain to Saudi Arabia are frowned upon, the updated facilities in Qatar, from where American military officers conducted the War on Iraq, were considered a panacea. For some senior American officials, Qatar's largesse was welcome, even if cynics perceived the supportive approach as circumstantial.

The latter phenomenon was not new as the following two examples- separated by two decades- amply illustrate.

On July 7, 1988, a prominent democratic representative from California, Tom Lantos, referred to Qatar during a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on a proposed arms sale to Kuwait.

Lantos asked Peter Burleigh, then Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, about Stinger missiles that mysteriously found their way to Doha. At the time, a number of countries were accused of illegally acquiring these missiles from American allies fighting the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

When Burleigh explained that Washington was discussing the matter with Doha, Lantos interjected with these memorable words: "What is your reaction to a speck of a little country snubbing its nose at the United States?" ("Proposed Arms Sales to Kuwait," Hearing, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, D.C.: July 7, 1988, p. 38).

More recently, a November 10 Newsweek essay by Carla Power, titled Hillary Clinton Stand Back (on Shaykha Mowzah bint Nasir Al Misnad), referred to Qatar as "a dinky emirate whose quicksilver political reforms over the past few years could provide one model for 21st century Arab democracy."

While the sentence is somewhat positive, the word dinky is quite insulting, and could have different meanings: small, minor, lesser, but also insignificant, petty, secondary, inferior, or inconsiderable, among others.

As if this was not bad enough, I heard the following a few weeks ago at the Qatar National Day celebrations in Washington. "How many Qataris are there?" one person asked his companion.

"About 350,000," responded the other. I was shocked when he continued: "100,000 Sheikhs, 100,000 protecting the Sheikhs, and 150,000 working for the Sheikhs." The joke was degrading of course and not meant to flatter. Yet it and comments like the ones attributed to Power and Lantos amply illustrate the lack of depth to the relationship.

Granted that Qataris are latecomers who, some will argue, are desperately see-king attention.

Still, it is undeniable that recent socio-political changes are noteworthy, including the Al Jazeerah phenomenon.

The existence and enormous success of the media outlet perfectly illustrate a brilliant story.

In fact, Al Jazeerah stands out as one of the most important innovations in contemporary Arab affairs, arguably the best of the best, both fair and balanced - the Fox television network's claim notwithstanding. It is so fair and balanced that officials in many countries make time to criticise it.

Other noteworthy steps abound and it is accurate to conclude that Qatar is a model of emancipated vision and of envy. To be sure, the country's leadership has done several things right - Al Jazeerah, the emphasis on establishing institutions of higher learning, laying the foundations of democratisation, etc... Why then do we still get "dinky" and crude jokes? Has Doha retained its legacy as a "speck of a country," or can it now ensure cooperation that is more than superficial?

Joseph Kéchichian, author of several books, is an expert on the Gulf and Middle East affairs.