Interactions of economy, foreign policy, and security of micro state of Qatar before and after 2011

Anti-government uprisings in 2011 in the Middle East and North Africa not only changed governments and political systems of some Arab countries, but also weakened pillars of power in some other countries, and in some regional countries led to changes in foreign policy strategies. These changes have had important consequences. Qatar is among few Arab countries which have not been affected domestically by 2011 protests in the Middle East and North Africa, but its foreign policy has changed due to regional protests. Qatar which is regarded as a micro state, especially since the second half of 1990s and ruling of Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, tried to grow and develop its economy through exploiting its rich hydrocarbon reserves which has proved a successful strategy. Since 2004, the government of Qatar has tried to overlap its economy, foreign policy and security simultaneous with its economic growth. Utilizing its strong economy, the government of Qatar followed pragmatism in its foreign policy in the form of a mediator in the crises of the Arab world and tried to present itself as a peace making country. This overlapping has been successful in providing security for the government of Qatar in the crisis stricken Middle East. 2011 anti-government uprisings in the Arab world caused a sudden turn in the foreign policy of Qatar from a peace making player to an intervening player in creating regional chaos, and again the element of economy played the lead role in this strategy. This paper looks at the economic status of Qatar and how economy and foreign policy influenced its security before and after 2011.