Qatar's Foreign Policy

"This study offers an analysis of Qatar's foreign policy since its independence from Britain in 1971. Here, Kabalan highlights the strategies pursued by the ruling Qatari elite, especially during the last two decades, and delves into the methods Qatar has used to deal with the structural challenges to its foreign policy. These strategies include financially leveraging its access to crucial resources, such as natural gas, and its manipulation of existing regional frictions. The book also addresses Qatar's soft power influence - positioning itself as an alternative cultural and intellectual hub in the Arab world, enabling it to take a leading role, particularly as a mediator, in the region"-- Provided by publisher.

Marwan Kabalan is Director of Policy Analysis at the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies, Qatar. He previously served as Dean of the Faculty of International Relations and Diplomacy at Kalamoon University in Damascus, Syria. He is a co-editor of Turkey-Syria Relations: Between Enmity and Amity (2013) and Syrian Foreign Policy and the United States, From Bush to Obama (2009).

List of Figures List of Tables Introduction Chapter One From Independence to Ascendancy Chapter Two Qatar Foreign Policy: The Theoretical Challenge Chapter Three Overcoming Geography Chapter Four Battle of the Axes Chapter Five Geopolitics of the Arab Spring Chapter Six The Unfinished Business of the Arab Spring Chapter Seven Relations with Washington: The Uneasy Alliance Chapter Eight Illusions of Strength and Decisiveness Chapter Nine Managing the Crisis Chapter Ten Challenges to Qatar's Foreign Policy Conclusion