(CNN) – Qatar can be simply defined in the 21st century as the “little state that does.” From near bankruptcy 20 years ago in the face of declining oil reserves and a record budget deficit, the Gulf Arab state with a population of up to 1.6 million, roughly one-fifth of them Qataris, is punching well above its weight. Qatar’s foray into the global investment arena is hard to miss. Its sovereign fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, has only been around since 2005, but its footprint is a long and wide one. The QIA has taken high profile stakes in German auto giants VW and Porsche, global banks Barclays and Credit Suisse, the London Stock Exchange and British supermarket giant J. Sainsbury and it even bought outright the luxury icon Harrod’s. The big splash year was 2009 when it invested $32 billion on a variety of transactions. According to Jones LaSalle, the building and real estate group, Qatar was the largest property investor globally in 2010. It has taken high profile positions across London in the Canary Wharf financial district, Chelsea Barracks near the Thames River, and is owner of the current U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square.
That is Qatar’s financial muscle at play thanks to sitting atop one of the world’s largest gas fields, which it shares with Iran. Qatar has 13.5 percent of global natural gas reserves, but it was Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani’s big bet in the early 1990s on gas-to-liquid technologies which continues to pay huge dividends for him today. From their strategic location in the Gulf, Qatar’s fleet of more than 50 gas trains can go where the growth is, whether it is east or west. So first comes financial clout, and then comes diplomatic maneuvers. The Emir made an early call - well before it was fashionable - to support Libya’s rebel movement now known as the National Transitional Council. This effort included military backing and a plan to market oil and gas on behalf of the NTC when cash was in short supply. Sheikh Hamad is taking what are seen in the region as very bold steps around what are considered potential Middle East landmines. On August 25th he made a quick stop in Tehran to meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Emir talked of expanding economic ties with Iran, partially viewed as an effort to protect Qatar’s strategic gas interests with direct engagement. That relationship to date had been mostly in the hands of Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, someone the Emir dropped into to see in Istanbul five days later. The leader of the small Gulf state sat with Erdoğan, leader of one of the region’s most populous countries, discussing the future of a region with too much on the boil: Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria – the latest country the Emir decided to get involved with. He utilized his television channel Al Jazeera to say “it’s clear that the Syrian people will not turn back on their demands.” It is all part of a bigger plan this tiny state is putting into action which includes that other global power plays - chairing the one-year, rotating presidency of the United Nations General Assembly and in the decade to follow hosting the 2022 World Cup. |
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I implore My Lord.
Forever.*
Open your constitution.*
Only peace and Love*
What he saw!
He saw great sings of his Lord.
More Trillion Earth.
More Trillion Sun.
More Trillion Hereafter.
Locks Them*
Baba…
Absolute authority…
Scripture*
Muhammad***
Immortality.
Diamond Them.*
Take what we inspire to you.*
And ransom my body.
Body Number 1.
Human Never Die.
DELECTABLE LIE: "Canada is losing out because it drank the Kool-Aid of multiculturalism" ...
http://canuckreport.ca
C-C-COMBO BREAKER
canada is losing out coz it does not have a sustainable population level, they need immigrants and so thats what they did, next time take my advise and produce more people, if not then give the natives/blacks more rights and stop being oppressive. Have a good day
I confer with USA,Canada needs more n more immigrants
But they should pass a security check first....
I got your muhammad right here in my hand.
88% strict Sunni Muslim. No religious freedom exists in Qatar.
And it bribed its way to winning the world cup! It should return all the funds that other country's paid out in bidding for a legitimate cup and then all footballing nations should BOYCOTT this corrupt nation so they can play the likes of Iran in a two sided competition....
I drew a picture Muhammad on my pen1s and proceeded to beat him until his head exploded.
what kind of economic theory is presented in this artlcle?
can someone please explain me this with examples please?
thank youuuu
Thanks. Great article.
Qatar