Emir of Qatar becomes first Arab leader to visit Gaza since Hamas takeover. Explaining Qatar's foreign policy. The changes of the past year in the Middle East and North Africa revealed how active small states can be.
Engagement of Qatar in NATO operations in Libya, actions of the Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani against Syria in the Arab League and the coverage of the Al Jazeera channel during the uprising in the neighboring Kingdom of Bahrain suggest that this small carbon-rich Gulf monarchy has a potential to influence regional politics. In this article I attempt to explain why this small Gulf state is so active in the Middle East and North Africa, and what drives such an active engagement abroad?