Qatar... Soft Power! Happy National Day

23 December 2016

By Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi

THE Egyptian broadcaster was in total shock when he learned that Qatar has just bought 20 percent of the largest Russian oil company (Rosneft) that owned 30 percent of the Italian oil company (Eni), operating the newly discovered Egyptian gas fields in the Mediterranean. What he couldn't understand is how could such a small state acquire such influence and power.

This reminds me of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's reaction when he saw the building of Al-Jazeera News Channel during a visit to Qatar. ''All the fuss comes from this box of matches?,'' he asked his Information Minister, Safwat Sharif, in bewilderment.

At the time, Qatar did not yet have the high-rise towers, mega malls, sophisticated road networks, Olympic sports centers or Hamad Port. I could imagine visitors' amazement as they go through recently opened ultra modern Hamad Airport with its terminal rail, luxurious shopping center, and award-winning services. It is just awesome!

I visited the country three times, this year — my first ever. Each time, I felt proud and amazed. When did our young sister grow so beautiful and sophisticated? Singapore took half a century to reach that height. Qatar has done it in twenty years! And I am not talking just about infrastructure. The nation of two millions reconstructed its culture and reoriented its mindset. Qatar today is a soft power in education, scientific studies, media and services.

My last visit, the start of this month, was to attend the Gulf and Arab Peninsula Studies Forum, organized by The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. I was also invited for the opening of the Doha Institute of Higher Studies. Both events were full of pleasant surprises.

First, the organization was perfect, even though the teams were small. I guess, Qatar's motto is (Quality before Quantity). The campus is sophisticated, green and beautiful. As a college professor, I found the classrooms, auditoriums, library and research facilities of my dreams. The academics and students are of high caliber, too.

Then came the Arabic Language Dictionary project. Arab linguistic specialists from all over the Arab World were working on building up the first encyclopedia of its kind in modern history. The modern dictionary will be available, courtesy of the institute, online. Can't wait!
Lastly, the forum was the best I attended in years. I tried to attend every lecture and meeting, but they were just too many. Luckily, all speeches and papers were published before hand — in print and online. Of course, it won't be enough, for you would miss the free and open discussion.

There were times when such events would be exclusive to Arab metropolitans, like Cairo, Beirut and Bagdad. Today, most International conferences, forums, exhibitions, commercial, political and sports events in the Arab world are hosted by Gulf states. Just this month, three important forums took place in Qatar (The Gulf and Arab Peninsula Studies), Bahrain (Manama Dialogue) and the UAE (Arab Thought Foundation Conference). Not to mention that the most effective media powerhouses are Gulf-states-owned — MBC, Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabia, Skynews, Rotana, Al-Arabi, Al-Arab, Al-Hayat and Saudi Research and Publishing Co.

On my way from the airport to the hotel, I saw a minivan carrying King Salman and Prince Tamim, pictures; and Saudi and Qatari flags. The loudspeaker was airing our national songs. ''Welcome King Salman,'' was written all over the car, the street and the whole city. We were a couple of days away from the Saudi King's visit and people were excited with happiness and anticipation.

Abdullah Alathba, editor in chief of Al-Arab daily, explains it to me. He was my neighbor in the Qatar Airways flight from Tunis, where Qatar and Saudi Arabia participated in the Tunisia Investment Conference, and contributed billions of dollars. ''Saudi Arabia for us is not just the 'Greater Sister.' We came from there, and parts of our families are still there. King Salman, like King Abdullah and all the sons of King Abdulaziz before them, are ours too. By the way, I am an Al-Ahli Club fan, and proud that Qatar Airways is sponsoring both Barcelona and Al-Ahli. Can't wait to watch their match next week in Doha.''

I told him how proud I was of Qatar's achievements. Its 5-stars airlines, now with Emirates and Etihad at the top of the best world airlines list, is a living example of how much you may achieve in short time, when you have vision, drive and honesty. No more excuses for failures, especially from those who were for ages way ahead of us!

Happy National Day, Qatar. You may always live in peace, prosperity … and outstanding achievements.

— Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at kbatarfi@gmail.com. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi 

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