Qatar through my Eyes: History, People, and Sovereigns

The history of every nation and its people is filled with defining moments that are immortalized by history and engraved over time in the depths of our memories, rendering them unforgettable. The Qatar I lived through is filled with such inspirational moments, for I have lived through six out of eight of the country’s rulers. Sheikh Qassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, the founder and builder of Qatar, is my great-grandfather. This book contains comprehensive answers to common questions regarding Qatar's soft power; how it compensates for the small size of its demography and the limitations of its geography, the heavy weight of its diplomacy, the strength of its international reliability, as well as its progressive vision that it offers to, and sets a standard with, the wealthiest countries in the world. Qatar’s possession of the best prominent international airlines, the famous Al Jazeera news network, and its status as one of the world’s safest and most crime-free countries, led to its recent crowning as the first Middle Eastern Arab country to win the honor of hosting of the world’s most popular tournament: the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Though this can be described as a miracle, it is one which is rooted in Qatar’s historic journey undertaken by its people and their rulers. Through its pictures and documents, this book reveals how we moved from desert life and diving for precious pearls that were sold and gifted as the most beautiful types of human elegance in the past, to our emergence in the energy era and ascending to the throne of liquefied natural gas exporting countries, to diversifying our economy with billions of successful investments all over the world, and finally towards moving into a knowledge-based economy that keeps pace with an accelerating and ever-changing present – all while looking forward to a future filled with the innovations of artificial intelligence and digitization. The lines in this book remain a testament and document of our history, sending a message to future generations that the elevation of nations and peoples has nothing to do with the population size or geographical area, as long as the unity of the people and the vision of good leadership and governance prevails.