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Podcast: Middle East Dossier
Episode: Bridging The Gulf Episode 7 — Qatar: Small State, Big Politics, and the Road to Diversification
Description: Qatar, a young state with a commensurately small population has emerged as an influential powerbroker in the Middle East. What are the tools that have enabled it to project power, soft or otherwise, on the international stage? How can we better understand Qatar’s “maverick” diplomacy that has enhanced its branding? Since its independence in 1971 and following a period of “high modernism,” the Qatari state has also deepened domestic ties with important social actors, bringing them into its orbit by forging lucrative financial ties. How did the acumen of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who became Emir in the mid-90s, t...