THE ANGLO-OTTOMAN CONVENTION
By July 12, 1913, the Anglo-Ottoman Convention was signed. This was done without Sheikh Jassim’s knowledge, as he died of old age within five days of the signing, after having fought hard for it for a long time. The signing from the Qatari side was thus delayed, and the document was never officially formalized until November 3, 1916.
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Jasim Al Thani, Sheikh Jassim’s son, took over after his father’s death in 1913. By 1914, World War I had broken out and the Ottomans sided with the Germans. The British were concerned that the Saudis would work on occupying Qatar and control the trading of arms in the region (the other force in the region that emerged at the time was the Wahhabis in east Arabia). By 1915, the Ottomans deserted Al Bida and the British gave it to the Sheikh of Qatar.
OILFIELDS
Qatar was sticking to their alliance with the British as Abdullah, the grandson of Mohammed Al Thani, secured the safety of his state in 1916 by providing the British with an exclusive promise to stay away from foreign powers and slave-trade.
However, the powerful and unexpected discovery of oilfields in 1932 in Bahrain turned to have an enormous impact, the effects of which are still felt very strongly today. Oil, otherwise known as black gold, started to transform the region practically overnight. The Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC) was benefiting already from a Qatari concession, although this was not put in use until 1939, when Sheikh Abdullah was granted additional defence guarantees.
Soon, however, World War II put a halt to all the excitement. It was only in 1963 that the Qatar Petroleum Company was formed, and foreign multinationals such as Shell came into the picture. The ten years between the mid-1960s and the mid-1970s were crucial as the State of Qatar took over the control of its oil production, which greatly facilitated the birth of the modern nation we know today. Infrastructure, education and health started to be put in place, all under the rule of the Al Thani family.
INDEPENDENCE
The political situation in the Gulf, though, still had some question marks. Abu Dhabi – the biggest emirate of the region – and Dubai were to be joined by their neighbours in the north, creating thereby the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain and Qatar were expected to do the same and thus put an end to their rivalries. However, both states decided to remain independent from the group of seven.
Qatar enacted its provisional constitution in 1970 and declared its independence on September 3, 1971. The creation of the United Arab Emirates took place the same year. The National Day date has since changed to December 18, in commemoration of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammad Al Thani, the founder of the State of Qatar.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE OF QATAR
A PROGRESSIVE COUNTRY
Following its independence in 1971, Qatar slowly gained a reputation for being a progressive state. It was allegedly reported that, when visiting Qatar in the 1970s, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, stated that he wanted Abu Dhabi to look like Qatar.
In July 1995, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani (son of Sheikh Khalifa Al Thani) acceded as – and is still today – Head of State, Emir of the country. The emir undertakes the duties of the Ministry of Defence (the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs is His Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al Thani; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy is His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah).
In the early years of his rule, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa set out to institutionalize the government by abolishing the control of the Ministry of Information over the media, and by setting up partnerships with foreign petroleum companies. This unleashed Qatar’s natural gas wealth, which prompted the country to take out loans from foreign banking institutions in order to open the reserves of the North Field.
Al Udeid airbase, which has the longest runway in the Gulf, was set up in the southern part of the state and became known as the main central command base for all US military operations against Iraq.
DEMOCRATIZATION
A slow move towards a democratization of the country began during Emir Sheikh Hamad’s first years in power. In early 1999, the Emir decided to extend the right to vote to Qatari women, who were also allowed to stand in for elections as candidates. In 2003, a woman won a municipal seat (although it must be noted she ran unopposed). Moreover, a major step forward was taken with the creation of the National Constitution Committee in 2002, which led to a public referendum in 2003. Once approved, the new constitution became effective in June 2005.
CROWN PRINCE
Recent years have seen the current Crown Prince and Heir Apparent, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (the emir’s second son) playing a larger role in the country’s future, especially as a key decision maker. In March 2006 he was seen improving transparency by imposing varying levels of government accountability.
ACHIEVEMENTS
In January 2006, Qatar became the first Gulf state to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council. The state soon started to take on an increasing position in the GCC countries as well as on the international arena.
Today, Qatar’s role is being steadily acknowledged and the expectations from the international community are increasing. The mediating role taken in May 2008 by the Qatari Government to put an end to the Lebanese 18-month political impasse was major.
All sectors of Qatar’s economy are distinguishing themselves by what they are achieving. On the humanitarian level, after the Tsunami disaster, Qatar donated USD 25 million in government aid in addition to sending food, medical and logistical supplies.
A special fund was established for the victims of hurricane Katrina, and the donation was of USD 100 million. In April of 2008, The Emir paid a personal visit to the State of Louisiana to check on the reconstruction progress of houses, hospitals and schools.
As far as education is concerned, a major advantage is the ongoing creation of campuses representing first-class universities, whose degrees are fully recognized internationally.
In the medical field, Qatar has established affiliations and accreditations with exceptionally renowned health care facilities; for instance, Hamad Medical Corporation is accredited by Joint Commission International (J.C.I.), an internal body that assesses medical facilities around the world.
QATAR IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
The Urban Planning Development Authority of Qatar (UPDA) is actively involved in a number of long-term projects. The following list is a showcase of developments under construction in Qatar, including what the future holds.
DOHA CONVENTION CENTRE AND TOWER (DCCT)
DCCT is a Qatari Diar project that is being built by real estate company Barwa. It is a landmark tower under construction on the north end of the corniche across from the Sheraton Hotel. The tower is 110 storeys in height and will have a hotel with 200 guest rooms, apartments, offices and penthouses. The convention space will be in the area beside the tower and will provide 100,000 square metres of exhibition space.
EDUCATION CITY AND TOTAL MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
Set on a total area of 1,600 hectares, Education City is under the Qatar Foundation umbrella, and the French oil company Total signed a memorandum of understanding in October 2008 to make Education City a hub for training for Total. The cooperation was created to highlight the leading French and European universities. They set up at Qatar’s Education City and now offer highly ranked postgraduate executive degrees and training initiatives. Specific institutions will be encouraged to work with North American institutions that already operate within Education City in order to complement its global reach.