Amid Israel-Hamas conflict, Qatar continues to grow in stature

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, one country that has grabbed the headlines lately alongside the United States, is Qatar. 

One of the first things American authorities did last Friday after Hamas freed two of the approximately 200 captives, Judith and Natalie Raanan, a mother and daughter of American and Israeli descent, was to express gratitude to the Qataris.

The reasons became as obvious as daylight soon after, when Hamas claimed in a statement that the two captives were released at the behest of Qatari mediators "for humanitarian reasons". 

And there's hardly any room to be surprised. At least not any longer. 

There was a time when Qatar, playing all sides and being a non-stop mediator, was thought to be punching way above its weight. However, recent events have solidified their unparalleled expertise in this realm, leaving no contenders in their league.

The Raanans' release marked the third occasion in the past two months that Qatar's intervention has helped to facilitate agreements between bitter adversaries. 

In September, Qatar, a tiny nation with extensive ties to militant groups, played a crucial role in facilitating the release of five Americans detained by Iran. 

Earlier this month, it was in the middle of an effort to free Ukrainian children held by Russia.

In 2021, Qatar also helped the US evacuate its citizens and allies during the tumultuous American withdrawal from the nation.

We can go back even further. 

In 2016, while the US and the Taliban were at war, Qatari authorities facilitated negotiations with the Taliban to release Colin Rutherford, a Canadian citizen kidnapped in Afghanistan. 

"We don't trust the Taliban," said D'Amico, a former FBI agent. "The Taliban doesn't trust us. But we both trust the Qataris."

This is the kind of reputation Qatar has developed over the years. 

And this role as a mediator, in addition to its enormous reserves of oil and natural gas, has given it immense clout on the global arena.

The country is surrounded by large and ambitious neighbours: Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Thus, diplomacy has become a way for Qatar to protect itself and its riches, by exerting influence in regional and global affairs. 

"The idea is to try to keep everybody happy — or if we can't, to keep everybody reasonably unhappy," said a former Qatari official. 

It's important to remember that Qatar is an absolute monarchy with almost no domestic dissent. 

It can consequently pursue iconoclastic policies abroad without worrying about how they would be received at home, unlike almost every other country in the world. 

The fact that Qatar has the world's highest per capita gross domestic product, at over $80,000, also helps to keep things quiet.

Qatar's revised constitution unveiled in 2003 included reference to the "peaceful resolution of international disputes" as the cornerstone of its foreign policy. 

Since then, Qatar has mediated in conflicts in Yemen, Darfur and, most successfully, in Lebanon. 

By providing a platform for dialogue and compromise between rival Lebanese factions, the Doha Accord helped to defuse tensions and restore a semblance of stability in Lebanon.

Qatar has maintained ties with Hamas going back nearly two decades. In the past, Qatar tried to arbitrate disputes between Hamas and the rival Palestinian Fatah movement in the West Bank.

Apart from being a strong supporter of the Palestinians as well as regional Islamist movements, Qatar also has low-level ties with Israel, cooperating with the country to provide badly needed aid to impoverished, blockaded Gaza.

Despite having strong relations to Iran, Qatar is home to one of the largest American air bases in the world. Al Jazeera, the contentious satellite television station that aided in the 2011 Arab Spring, is also based in and funded by the government of Qatar.

However, Qatar's mediation strategy took a hit in 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade on the country for backing Islamists they deem a threat, giving a platform to their dissidents and befriending Iran and Turkey.

According to Qatari officials, the country came close to being invaded when Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed the embargo for three and a half years until Riyadh, under US pressure and in a bid to rehabilitate its own image, announced an end to the dispute.

Despite all this, today's popular belief is that Qatar constitutes no real threat to anyone. It is further believed that there is no strategic interest behind their diplomacy aside from moral gain, which makes a good cause for them to be a credible mediator. 

And Qatar is using this chance wisely, taking full advantage of it.

It has turned itself into a "soft power" and strengthened its position in the world while setting itself apart from regional rivals. It has also established itself as a moderate, Islamic state in the Arab world, drawing visitors and foreign investors.

The country has perhaps made its biggest statement to the globe so far with the triumph of the FIFA World Cup 2022, and their march forward is unlikely to halt anytime soon. 

Now it wants to bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics. In the intervening period, it is scheduled to host a series of sporting events like the Asian football, the world swimming championship and the world table tennis championship. 

In essence, Qatar wants to position itself as a major destination for global sports as well. 

The mediation is further used as a defence against some of the criticism Qatar has gotten for its support of organisations labelled as terrorist entities by Western governments, especially when it extends assistance to the US.

Being on good terms with the US has other perks as well.

As a result of Qatar's crucial contribution to assisting Europe with its energy crisis following the Ukraine war, Joe Biden designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally of the US last year.