Less than two decades ago, most people in the world would not have even heard of Qatar. Yet today it is associated with major players that have become integral to the contemporary global citizen: Qatar Airways, Al Jazeera and the FIFA 2022 World Cup are but a few examples. The world would be much poorer without these uniquely Qatari institutions.
Few doubt that Qatar has come a long way from being a sleepy state in the Gulf to a force to be reckoned with. The rise of Qatar has rapidly expanded its circle of stakeholders. It now answers to the needs of people from around the world, and pleasing everyone has not proven to be an easy task. Rapidly changing opinions about the country and what it stands for differ from region to region, sector to sector and from industry to industry.
Qatar is viewed by different regions of the world in terms of its public diplomacy, massive spendering and ambitions. Whilst those are mostly commendable traits most countries aspire to have, they also inadvertently invite scepticism and criticism.
Al Jazeera was the first window that opened Qatar to the Arab world, and soon afterwards to the rest of the world. Al Jazeera became the "gold standard" of Arab news media. It almost became the voice of the man on the street, delivering news items to a region that was accustomed to receiving heavily censored news items. Over the years however, and particularly after the launch of the English-language channel, it was increasingly felt that Al Jazeera was an arm of Qatari public diplomacy. What Al Jazeera showed is now perceived as semiofficial Qatari policy, or at least having the support of the Qatari government. This was the main driver of how Qatar is perceived in the Arab World, and to a lesser extent in the West. Qatar was no longer seen as an apolitical, neutral, sleepy country, but one that had taken it upon itself to be the guardian of the Arab "renaissance". The Qatari military involvement in Libya only helped to confirm this. However, the role the country played in the Arab Spring has also created many critics, both in the region and beyond. It was felt that Qatar was unfairly punching above its weight, and assuming the role of the Arab voice, without the political justification necessary.
The winning of the FIFA 2022 World Cup bid and subsequent allegations of corruption have caused serious reputational damage. Many, particularly in the West, felt that Qatar had been able to secure the hosting of the 2022 World Cup through commitments that required massive spending, both legitimately and illegitimately. Few outside Qatar have seen the great strides the country has made in the world of football. Winning the right to host the 2022 World Cup has undoubtedly propelled the country to new levels of world recognition, but it has also set new challenges the country must contend with. The country's ability to embark on massive spending in countries around the world has exposed it to working with leading financial institutions around the world. The country's sovereign investment vehicles have certainly been able to secure "trophy" assets around the world, with varying degrees of success. But this has also exposed it to even more stakeholders, often with competing requirements. The manner in which those funds are buying key assets is seen by some as a means to increase political influence in key countries or regions. This is even more exacerbated by the apparent very top-down way of decision-making, blurring the lines between political and financial investments. The perceived opaqueness of the investment strategies of the sovereign wealth funds and those close to the ruling family have made many in the West question the motives behind those investments. More openness and clearer delineation between private and state spending will go a long way in reassuring some sceptical but potentially key partners, that Qatar's intentions are benign.
No one can doubt that Qatar has become a major regional player, on the political, economic and social fronts. And it is here to stay. The vision of the country's leadership to venture out beyond the perceived limits its small size allows has made it a global household name. This rapid expansion has unsurprisingly created critics and sceptics.
Their fears of this rapidly rising star can be allayed with greater transparency, institutionalisation and decentralisation that allows for engaging the ever-expanding circle of stakeholders.
The progress the country has made trumps all the criticisms and scepticisms that come as "part of the deal". Different regions of the world view Qatar differently, but almost all look at it with great admiration.
Ghanem Nuseibeh is the Founder of Cornerstone Global Associates, a high-end London-based strategy and management consultancy. Ghanem specialises in political and economic risk, and works with governments, investment banks and organizations from around the world.
He regularly appears in regional and international media commenting about regional affairs, including Reuters, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and others. gn@cstoneglobal.com
© Qatar Today 2012
