Qatar’s readiness to use its immense economic power for political purposes, coupled with the weakness of several regional actors in the wake of the “Arab Spring,” has put the emirate’s foreign policy in the spotlight. Indeed, Qatar became a key country in the Middle East in recent years, wielding significant influence far beyond its borders. All this is likely to change. While American defense support has given Qatar a sense of security and empowered its diplomatic activism (Qatar is host to both the US Central Command Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center, America’s largest air force base in the Middle East), the emirate’s power is not unlimited. Many are unhappy with Qatar’s “adventurous” foreign policy and regional activism, not to mention its opportunism.
