The Foreign Policy Orientations of Qatar and the Role of the European Union

Abstract

Qatar has transformed its foreign policy orientation between 1995 and 2020, especially since the anti-Qatar quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt cut their diplomatic ties with Qatar in June 2017 (the Gulf crisis) which forced the Gulf country to rebuild its relationships. Besides its bilateral relations, Qatar has pivoted towards international institutions, including the European Union, by implementing resilient strategies and reforms in order to survive the negative consequences of the crisis. The researcher investigates both strategic and historical relations between Qatar and the European Union highlighting the changes, which have taken place during the reign of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (1995-2013) and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani since 2013. This research aims to understand this transformation by analyzing the changing dynamics of the foreign policy of Qatar and the evolving relationship with the European Union with regard to political, economic, and security dimensions. This research explores the implemented soft power strategies which contributed enormously to the transformation of Qatar. The researcher provides a geopolitical context in order to understand reasons behind the success of a small state in international politics. The qualitative approach is followed by analyzing relevant literature to investigate the changing dynamics of Qatar`s foreign policy, followed by an analysis of economic diversification and growing diplomatic relations with the European Union Finally, this thesis investigates the limitations of the role of the European Union in the Gulf Crisis and explains why the European Union remained in a neutral position with regard to this dispute. Furthermore, the researcher highlights significant cooperation agreements which provided a platform for further opportunities between the European Union and Qatar in order to strengthen their relationship especially in terms of mutual political and economic interests