On April 2, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Qatar as “a complex country”.  The epithet seems a trifle inadequate.  Qatar is close to mirroring  Winston Churchill’s famous description of Russia –  “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” 

Dubbed “the wild card of the Middle East”, Qatar makes for an intriguing case study.  This  stand-alone and gas-rich Gulf state – the wealthiest country in the world on a per capita basis –is best known to the general public as having won the hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in somewhat dubious circumstances.  

Qatar has long pursued a foreign policy that appears self-contradictory to the world in general, and positively infuriating to its Arab neighbors.  While offering itself as a key US ally in the Middle East, it has also consistently backed hardline Islamists — from Hamas in the Gaza Strip, to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, to wild-eyed jihadists in Assad’s Syria.

“We don’t do enemies,” a one-time foreign minister of Qatar once said. “We talk to everyone.” 

This policy, pursued with determination over the past thirty years, is a long-term effort to become a major player on the world stage.  It has succeeded.   From a standing start Qatar became central in a variety of delicate negotiations. For example it played a vital role in the events leading to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.  

Collaborating closely with the US, Qatar acted as mediator between the Taliban and what was left of the previous Afghan administration to assist the evacuation of tens of thousands of people — including US citizens and contractors.  As a direct result, on March 10, 2022,........

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