Qatar: Securing the Global Ambitions of a City-state

This is an interesting analysis of Qatar, the richest state on earth. Sharing with Iran the largest gas field on the planet, and with an indigenous population of fewer than 300,000 people, Qatar is able to punch well above its weight on the global scene through a combination of investments, involvement in sports, and in acting as a balance and arbiter between the likes of Israel and Iran, Qatar has pursued the formation of a brand and a role completely out of proportion to its size and population. All of this is explained and analysed in this interesting book. The book has been developed from a PHD thesis - the number of reference sources cited is quite mind boggling - and at times it is a little academic for relaxed reading as a result. There is little here about the lives of Qataris, or the culture of the country - much more about Qatar's world role and what has brought it about. But to be fair the title covers the content very succinctly. Well worth reading for general interest and even more so for those with economic or political interest in Qatar and the region