The military relationship between Qatar and the United States - Essay Example

Similarly, the states in the Middle East have been seeking to relate with the United States in a manner that promotes their political, security, and economic interests. Historical records indicate that the first contacts between these two can be traced to the late eighteenth century when there were efforts to sustain relations between them. This was particularly reflected through American missionaries who were spreading Christianity in Middle East and Africa. Apart from spreading Christianity, they were also establishing educational institutions, primarily in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon (Shunnaq 2012).

In Post-World War II period, the United States has been seeking to maintain relations with the Middle East based on prevailing interests, mainly supply of oil and promoting security and democracy in the region. It should be noted that the relationship of the United States and the Middle East has also been largely shaped by how it relates with the Israeli state and conversely how Israel is relating with the other states in the Middle East (Hahn 2005). Political analysts and historians argue that the Israel-Palestinian conflict has significantly shaped the United States policy in the Middle East.

In addition, the recent happenings in Syria have been critical in defining how the United States relates with the Middle East, and vice-versa. . States like Iran, Lebanon, and Syria are yet to warm to cordial relationship with the United States (Blanchard 2011). This paper will discuss the United States policy with specific reference to the military relationship between the United States and Qatar. Qatar is a small peninsular state that borders Saudi Arabia in the Gulf of Persia. It is a constitutional monarchy being headed by the Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

It gained full independence on 3rd September, 1971 from Britain. The Emir is the head of government and has the mandate of appointing members of the governing Council of ministers, headed by Prime Minister Abdallah bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who is the monarch’s brother (Fromherz 2011). It has a constitution that was approved in April 2003 and it stipulates that the state rule is hereditary within the family of Al-Thani. It further stipulates that the future successors will follow the Emir’s male offspring line.

In addition, the constitution states that there shall be a legislative authority residing in the hands of Advisory Council of 45 members, two-thirds of whom are elected directly, while one-third are appointees of the Emir. Natural gas and oil production is the backbone of Qatar’s robust economy, which has been experiencing an average annual economic growth of 9 percent over the last half a decade. It has signed a number of agreements with the United States energy companies such as ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.

As regards its foreign policy, Qatar is a United Nations’ member, as well as being a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organization of Islamic Conference, the Arab League, and the Organization of