The success story of Qatar, which transformed from a tiny struggling state into a country punching above its weight with soft power, wealth and influence felt in the region and beyond, was propelled by late Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Sheikh Hamad, who died at age 74, was able to redefine Qatar's position on the political map of the Middle East, moving it from the margins of the Gulf to regional prominence in political, diplomatic, national and humanitarian fields, relying on his vision that transcended the country's modest size and narrow borders.
Those who knew Sheikh Hamad said he was aware, even before assuming power in 1995, of his country's lack of traditional elements of strength and understood the need to invest in soft power.
From the early days of his reign, he implemented enormous projects in education, health, scientific research and sports in addition to the vital energy sector, transforming his country's wealth into international diplomatic weight and not merely a source of prosperity for his own people. The former emir also understood the power of media when he created Al Jazeera, one of the most successful news channels in the Arab world, which later transformed into a powerful media network.
Qatari diplomacy led fruitful mediations in complex disputes and conflicts across a vast geographic expanse from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Horn of Africa. Doha brought together leaders in Lebanon in 2008, concluding a historic agreement that quelled the risk of another civil war. Qatar sponsored negotiations that lasted 30 months between the Sudanese parties over the Darfur crisis, culminating in 2011 in the signing of the Doha Document for Peace.
During the Father Emir's era, Qatar established the Al Udeid military base, which hosts the largest United States military force in the Middle East. Not far from it, Doha hosted the leadership of Hamas. He was the first Arab leader to visit the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the Israeli war in 2012, announcing from there the launch of housing and reconstruction projects with a grant worth $400 million.
Qatar's mediation role remained shielded from affecting its political principles, especially the Palestinian cause, considering it had to maintain open communication channels with all parties to the conflicts, including Israel.
The Gulf state supported the "Arab Spring" revolutions, and it adopted policies that explicitly backed the right of the region's peoples to freedom and dignified lives.
Sheikh Hamad left his post in 2013 after his vision for Qatar became a reality, and during the era of his son and successor, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, he witnessed Qatar's transformation into an energy and mediation power.
Source: www.aljazeera.com