When Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani decided to abdicate the throne for his 33-year-old son Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in 2013, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were quick to congratulate the young Emir. “We are confident that you will continue the journey of your father…,” the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulazeez said. Sheikh Tamim did continue the journey of his father, who, in the 18 years of his rule, transformed Qatar, a tiny energy-rich country in the Gulf that shares a land border only with Saudi Arabia, into a wealthy regional power with a relatively independent foreign policy.
What was his first crisis?
Sheikh Hamad announced his abdication decision on June 25, 2013. Within a week, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian General, seized power by toppling the country’s first elected President Mohamed Morsi, who had the backing of Qatar. Saudi Arabia and the UAE offered help to Gen. Sisi because they saw President Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement as a threat to regional stability. For Sheikh Tamim, it was his first major foreign policy crisis.
Why was Egypt’s coup bad news?
His father had heavily invested, both politically and economically, in the Arab Spring protests to expand Qatar’s influence across the region. It was in Qatar’s interests to prevent the coup that took place in the background of largescale anti-Morsi protests in Cairo and other parts of Egypt. “I became the Emir just three or four days before what happened in Egypt on June 30 [when the protests broke out],” Sheikh Tamim later said in a conversation with Georgetown University president John J. DeGioia. “I had to deal with the situation… to find a solution in Egypt. It was very difficult. I tried my best, but unfortunately, you know, I wasn’t successful,” he said.
Why the rift with Saudi Arabia?
After the coup, Sheikh Tamim had two options: either toe the Saudi line by welcoming Egypt’s new ruler or continue to support the Muslim Brotherhood. He chose the latter, paving the way for protracted tensions with his bigger neighbour which eventually led to Riyadh and its allies cutting ties with Qatar earlier this month.
What are his roots?
Sheikh Tamim, born in Doha in 1980 as the fourth son of Sheikh Hamad, became the Emirate’s heir apparent at 23 when his older brother Jasim renounced his claim to the throne. Since then, the al-Thani royal family had been grooming him to take over from his father. He was a Second Lieutenant in the Qatari army and became the deputy commander-in-chief in 2009. He has served in several other key positions such as the president of THE Qatar National Olympic Committee and the chairman of the committee organising the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
What is his politics?
From the early days of his rule, it was evident that Sheikh Tamim wanted to raise Qatar’s profile in an unstable region. He competed with the Saudis in bankrolling anti-regime militias in Syria. He backed one of the rival governments in Libya. Al Jazeera, the royal family-funded television station, continued its sympathetic coverage of the Muslim Brotherhood. When the political leadership of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza, fled crisis-hit Damascus, Qatar offered them refuge. Moreover, despite conflicting interests elsewhere in the region, Sheikh Tamim retained good diplomatic ties with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival.
What’s the way forward?
Within a year of his rule, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain temporarily suspended diplomatic ties with Qatar over Doha’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood. But Sheikh Tamim stayed the course on foreign policy. Things started changing after King Salman took power in Saudi Arabia and his young son, Mohammed bin Salman, was appointed Defence Minister. The new Saudi rulers took a tougher line towards Qatar. The Saudi attempt to isolate the emirate is certainly the biggest foreign policy crisis. For now, Iran and Turkey have offered him support, including food supplies. But the question is how long will he be able to resist pressure from Qatar’s giant neighbour at a time when the cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia is hotting up.
