Characteristics of Qatar - Research Paper Example

The of Qatar, or Dawlat (an English spelling of how the country is referred to within its borders), is a truly fascinating place. Existing as asmall Arab emirate in the Middle East, Qatar has a long and complex political history as well as an interesting cultural and ethnic back-story. Etymologically, the name “Qatar” is derived from the town of Zubara, now located within the country’s borders but which has a history that extends to ancient times as a trading port and well-known town. However, the English pronunciation of the name differs from that of Arabs, the latter of whom include the “t” in the first syllable of the name (qat-ar). English speakers tend to include the “t” in the second syllable of the name, which is a tension of sort that mirrors the complication political tension between the native Arabs and the foreign Western powers such as the British Empire. Today, Qatar is a relatively well-developed, progressive-looking Arab state that has much in common with the West, but still retains many of the traditions and ethnic identities that define it as an Islamic monarchy. Each of the distinct aspects of Qatar, including its geography and political structure, are deserving of a closer look for anyone trying to understand the country better. In terms of the country’s location, Qatar is a small state that shares its own border with Saudi Arabia. The country sits on the northeastern corner of its much larger neighbor on a peninsula that juts out into the Persian Gulf. Across the Persian Gulf from Qatar lies Iran, and across a narrow strait in the Gulf lies the island nation of Bahrain. Relatively close to Qatar and its neighbor Saudi Arabia is the United Arab Emirates. This location as a peninsula proximate to Saudi Arabia does not pose a political threat to the tiny nation of Qatar, but instead has proven to be an advantage for Qatar’s growth. For instance, during the Persian Gulf War, Qatar military forces joined the coalition against Iraq in stabilizing the Middle East. Within its space, Qatar has excelled and has built favorable relations with its neighbors. Geographically, Qatar is not only small but also flat. As was mentioned previously, Qatar is a small nation based on a peninsula jutting out from neighboring Saudi Arabia. The peninsula is just about 100 miles (or 160 km) in length, which is roughly the same length as Delaware. Much of that length consists of barren plain covered with sand, without much in terms of high fixtures or rock faces. One interesting feature of Qatar is the inland sea to the southeast. Known as the “Khawr al Udayd,” this inland sea contains an area of sand dunes that surrounds water rolling in from the Persian Gulf. This area remains primarily a “wilderness area” that has been untouched by recent economic developments and geographical modifications undertaken in Qatar. One last interesting feature of Qatar’s geography is its high point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl, which is roughly 338 feet (or 103 meters) in height and sits in the Jebel Dukhan in the western regions of the state. The Qurayn Abu al Bawl consists of a range of limestone outcroppings that run in a southern direction from the city of Bir Zikrit to the southern border. This region is also significant for hosting Qatar’s most productive onshore oil deposits. Like much of the Middle East, the climate consists of a long, hot summer (roughly from May to September) with temperatures reaching upwards of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. From October to April, temperatures are more moderate. While rain is negligible, night temperatures are sometimes very cold (falling to nearly 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Qatar is also known for potentially deadly sandstorms that have the capacity to block out the sun, damage buildings with high winds, and disrupt economic productivity. Because of this heat, lack of water, and dangerousness of sandstorms, population centers exist mainly near the coasts. Small pockets of oases can be seen in Qatar, consisting of thick vegetation zones where water is plentiful underground. In these rare areas, trees and shrubbery grow out of the sand; most of these regions lie in the east near the coast where rainfall is more likely to occur. Any resource on Qatar would acknowledge the fact that the small peninsula has a long civil history, in terms of the ancient civilizations that once took residence where the modern state of Qatar lies today. In terms of modern history, one really needs to understand the appeal of Qatar as a colonial trading route for the British, which eventually extended over the Qatar region. This influence of the British diminished in the 20th century following World War II and the independence of India. Following the disentanglement of Britain from Middle Eastern affairs around 1968, Qatar and eight other nations, including neighboring Bahrain, formed a federation of states, which disintegrated as well in 1971, at which point Qatar became a sovereign nation. Notably, this federation that Qatar absolved from would become the nearby United Arab Emirates. From the beginning of Qatar’s separation from Bahrain under British rule, the nation has been led by the Thani family as a ruling dynasty. Today, political power in Qatar is centered in this monarch role, specifically under Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who has ruled over Qatar since 1995 in a peaceful coup of his father. Culturally, Qatar demonstrates its shared roots with its neighboring Islamic Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. Because Arabs from Saudi Arabia drifted not only into the Qatar region but also into the regions of Bahrain and the UAE, the region is relatively culturally homogenous. For instance, Qatar uses a very literal form of traditional Sharia law to form the foundation of its government (Hamzeh). The proper name of this school of law is Madh’hab, which was one of many schools that formed in the early days of the Islamic faith. Regardless, Qatar is very traditional and conservative in where it draws its laws from. With only a five percent Shiite presence in Qatar (which is typical for the region), it is not surprising that Sunni Islam is a dominant force in the country. However, Qatar also has many non-Muslim, non-citizens working within the country, which was precipitated by economic factors. Some of these “economic factors” include the sociopolitical liberalization that is quite unusual for a traditional Islamic nation, especially bordering the politically reactionary Saudi Arabia. In fact, some of the progressive reforms seen under Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani have enabled the rapid economic growth that the world has seen in Qatar over the past decade. In part, this is due to high oil prices and Qatar’s ability to capitalize on that natural resource (Pearce). In addition, Qatar’s economic growth is due to private and foreign investment in natural gas, which has led to a heavy dependence on fossil fuels for the national economy (over fifty percent of gross GDP, in fact). All of this had led to Qatar become the second highest per-capita income country in the world, which is due (1) to its tremendous economic growth out of fossil fuels, but (2) to its extremely small size (IMF). Qatar has evolved quite dramatically since the 1930s, when its economy was heavily dependent on the exportation of fish and pearls. While the country has come a long way, it is still heavily invested in oil and gas, to the expense of diversification. Therefore, the company is looking to extend itself into technology and the “knowledge economy” while it has the economic resources to do so. However, as we continue to look at Qatar, despite its economic growth and progressive liberalization, there are still undercurrents of traditional conservatism that unite it with its surrounding Arab countries that are more reluctant to adopt a Western veneer. For instance, there are no democratic elections in its social structure. Islamic law, by and large, still applies within the family and not at a social level. That is, the family structure remains essential to the proper functioning of Qatari society insofar as it is an Islamic nation. Sharia law, as was mentioned previously, is largely a legal code that is dependent on and applied to a familial context. The importance of family is even seen in Qatar’s ruling body, a family dynasty that has ruled over the state for as long as any citizen can remember. There is, also, something to be said of the demographic makeup of the state of Qatar such that it is not portrayed as a culturally, demographically homogenous state. In fact, there are many non-Qatari, and even non-Muslim, individuals living and working within the country. Qatari Arabs only make up approximately twenty percent of the state’s population; the rest of the country is made up of other Arabs, Indians, Filipinos, Nepalese, Pakistanis, and Sri Lankans at rates of twenty, twenty, ten, thirteen, seven, and five percent respectively. Clearly, this is a very diverse group of people that did not settle in the area at the same time. Seventy-seven percent of that population is Muslim, while eight and fourteen percent are Christian and “Other” respectively. English, Hindi, and Arabic are spoken with relative frequency. One can generalize this observation to say that when a country is more focused on economic well-being and productivity, it does not matter what the racial or ethnic makeup of the country happens to be. In fact, drawing in human resources from all over the world, as Qatar has done, enhances a country’s ability to be economically successful in a globalized world. For that, Qatar should be commended for rising above the kinds of problems that afflict the development of its neighboring countries. To conclude, there is much to be said about a little country like Qatar, especially as it makes economic, sociopolitical, and now even geographical breakthroughs (with the construction of manmade islands). However, there is also a tension that one might stress between all of these Western-oriented, liberal breakthroughs in its society and its economy, and the underlying ideas on which Qatari society is built. In 2005, a terrorist struck a British teacher in Doha, which was the first major terroristic incident in the country (Oxford Analytica). In the future, as Qatar builds on its success, we might see growing tensions between its success and the desire of fundamentalism to return Qatar back to its religious fundamentals. Works Cited Hamzeh, A. Nizar. "Qatar: The Duality of the Legal System." Middle Eastern Studies 30(1) (1994): 79-90. IMF. World Economic Outlook Database. April 2011. 15 November 2011 . Oxford Analytica. The Advent Of Terrorism In Qatar. 25 March 2005. 15 November 2011 . Pearce, Fred. Qatar to use biofuels? What about the countrys energy consumption? 14 January 2010. 15 November 2011 . Read More