How Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani built Qatar’s soft power | GCC images

The leader who is known as the father of the emir of Qatar was able to redefine his country’s position on the political map of the Middle East.

From a small region struggling to survive to a country struggling with its weight and soft power, wealth and power that resonates in the region and beyond, Qatar and its history of success were inspired by the late Mr. Emir. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Sheikh Hamad, who died on Sunday at the age of 74, was also able to translate Qatar’s position on the political map in the Middle East, moving from the shores of the Gulf to prominent areas in politics, diplomatic, world and humanitarian, relying on his vision that went beyond the small size of the country and narrow borders.

Those who knew Sheikh Hamad said they knew, even before he took power in 1995, that his country lacked traditional power and understood the need to invest in soft power.

From the beginning of his reign, he established major projects in education, health, scientific research and sports in addition to the important sector of energy, transforming the economy of his country into the richest in the world and not only making his people develop. The former Emir also understood the power of radio when he created Al Jazeera, one of the most successful voices in the Arab world, which later turned into a powerful network.

The Qatari negotiations led to a fruitful dialogue on complex disputes and conflicts in the vast region from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Horn of Africa.

Doha brought Lebanon’s leaders together in 2008, ending a long-standing agreement that ended the risk of another civil war. Qatar supported the 30-month-long negotiations between the Sudanese parties on the Darfur conflict, which culminated in 2011 with the signing of the Doha Document for Peace.

Qatar continued to support negotiations between Hamas and Fatah, the two sides of the Palestinian partition, and resolved the conflicts in Yemen and Somalia and between Eritrea and Djibouti in a rare way.

At the time of Time of Father EmirQatar established the Al Udeid Air Force, which has the largest US military presence in the Middle East. Alongside this, Doha welcomed the leadership of Hamas, which led some to describe Sheikh Hamad as the “emir of the resistance” after he traveled to southern Lebanon in 2010 to visit villages that had been rebuilt with Qatari funds after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

He was the first leader of the Arabs to the Gaza Strip after the Israeli war in 2012, announcing from there the establishment of construction and reconstruction projects with a total of $ 400m.

Qatar’s communication mission was protected from its political influence, mainly because of the Palestinians, considering that it had to have open lines of communication with all warring parties, including Israel.

The Gulf countries supported the “Arab Spring” revolutionaries, and adopted policies that support the rights of the people of the region to have freedom and a dignified life.

Qatari work during the era of the emir’s father was not only focused on the economy but also created an independent political identity that could affect regions and countries.

Sheikh Hamad stepped down in 2013 after his vision for Qatar was realized, and under his son and successor, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, he saw Qatar’s transformation into a unified power.