Last Update: MAYO 2021
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Qatar is a monarchy in which power is concentrated around the emir and senior members of the royal family. The current emir is Tamim bin Hamad al Zani. His father, the former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (1995-2013) introduced limited political reforms but retained executive decision-making powers. He instated Qatar's first election in 1999, when citizens voted for the 29-member municipal council in the capital Doha. This poll, and all subsequent ballots, have passed off without incident. The former emir also oversaw the introduction of the country's first constitution in 2004. Qatar has a Consultative Council, but its role is advisory, and it is partially appointed by the emir. Although the constitution calls for the reform of the council into a partly elected 45-member legislative body, elections have been postponed several times. The current emir has announced that the legislative elections will be held in the current year 2021, but there are little guarantiees of being held due to the several postponements that the elections have suffered since 2004. Political parties are banned, and the political life is entirely captured by the royal family. Although political enfranchisement could theoretically create demands for greater accountability, there is little evidence that there is an appetite for democratic change.
This lack of democracy does not imply an hostile atmosphere to do business. The royal familiy have used their power to pursue the economic growth and development of Qatar, and foreing investment is welcomed as part of their strategy of diversifing their economy. When Qatar was a colony of Great Britain gas reserves were found in the territory, but they were not exploded as there were no infraestructures to transport the gas to the importer countries. With the independence of the country, the emir Hamad bin Khalifa invested in a new technology: the liquefaction of gas that allowed to convert the gas into liquid and transport it in boats like the rest of commodities. Thanks to that initial investment, Qatar has become the world leader exporter of liquified gas. The rent generated by gas has been re-invested in other activities to reduce the future dependence on gas of the economy, although the current dependence on gas is still high and leaves Qatar exposed to the volatility of energy prices. The economic growth of Qatar has been led by the Royal famility instead of by the private initiative, like the case of Dubai. The transition from a public-led development to a private-led is one of the economic challenges of Qatar. Overall, Qatar is a paradigm of openess in the Persic Gulf, with solid economic growth, strong financial buffers and public accounts, and a high GDP per cápita that supports social stability. In 2021, GDP is expected to growth by 2.4% according to the IMF.
Qatar has complemented its economic development with the strengthening of its position in the World. The international strategy followed by Qatar has been twofold: by one side, Qatar has goods relations with different powers like US and Iran; and by the other side it has increased their influence in the Arab World, mainly through the media Al - Jazeera. This external policy threatens the hegemony of Saudi Arabia, and that is why Qatar has been suffering the blockade of the Saudí monarchy since 2017. Saudi Arabia ended the blockade in January.
The effect of COVID-19 has made the Qatari economy to contract mostly due to the sharp reduction in the non-oil sector and the decline in energy prices, but it is expected to keep growing in 2021 thanks to the increase in the energy prices. Projections made by the IHME show that daily infections will decline during the summer. Information about the new measures can be found in the website of the Ministry of Health.
The removal of the blockade of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt (the Quarter) in January 2021 has politically reinforced Qatar. None of the requirements that the Quarter imposed on Qatar as conditions to end the blockade have been accepted by Qatar, something that reveals the higher negotiation power of the Qatari government. The demand of closing al - Jazeera, the most influence media in the Middle East owned by Qatar, has been disregarded. As a consequence of the blockade, Qatar has reinforced its relations with Turkey and Iran.
Qatar has been politically stable under the current emir, Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and significant political opposition to him is unlikely to emerge. A change of leadership is also unlikely, and future emirs are likely to come from the Thani family. Strong tribal structures provide an informal, though effective, means of direct representation for Qatar’s citizens, and there appears to be no popular appetite for fundamental changes to the political system.
Qatar is considered an Authoritarian Regime in the 2020 Democracy Index, developed by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), where the country ranks 128 out of 167 countries scored.
The country ranks 45 at the 2020 Human Development Index developed by the United Nations Development Programme. Moreover, the country ranks 128 out of 180 countries according to the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, elaborated by the Reporteros Sin Fronteras (RSF) organization.
Qatar offers a generally good operational environment for foreign business, and the government is working to improve this further in a bid to attract inward investment. Physical infrastructure in Doha – the country’s capital and its only major commercial centre – is generally good, though the government is seeking to improve it ahead of hosting the 2022 football (soccer) World Cup. Communications networks are highly developed.
The government has implemented reforms to dismantle the sponsorship (kafala) system, which rights group criticize because it gives Qatari sponsors control over foreign workers’ movements and employment opportunities and permits exploitative employment practices. However, challenges in implementing and enforcing reforms mean labor rights issues will continue to pose reputational risks for companies with operations in Qatar.
Doha's Hamad International Airport (DOH), which opened in 2014, is considered one of the biggest travel hubs worldwide; more than 90 percent of travelers flying to DOH are in transit to another location.
The national road network is well developed but construction sites located throughout the country regularly disrupt traffic. Due to rapid development in Doha, maps can be inaccurate, and GPS devices are rarely up to date. Finally, cultural and sports events usually lead to the closure of the "Corniche," one of Doha's main roads. Authorities are very strict in enforcing traffic laws; traffic cameras are numerous and fines can be high. Qatar has a zero-tolerance policy regarding drinking and driving. Metered taxis (turquoise in color) are available in Doha and are reliable and safe, and can be hailed on the street. Furthermore, many drivers speak English. The Uber ridesharing system is also well implemented in the country. Road accidents are frequent due to unskilled and/or young drivers (especially on Thursday and Friday evenings), speeding, and the presence of animals on the roads.
Overall, Qatar ranks 77 out of 190 countries scored at the 2020 Doing Business Index by the World Bank and 30 out of 198 at the 2020 Corruption Perception Index by the Transparency International Organization.
The high standard of living among Qatari nationals means that petty crime, such as pickpocketing, is not a major problem in Qatar. However, there is likely to be an opportunistic increase with large crowds of visitors. Public markets are common locations for pickpocketing; such areas are likely to be heavily policed and under surveillance during the tournament and this is likely to limit the incidence of petty crime.
Petty crime is highly unlikely to develop into a potential embarrassment in the run-up to the world cup. The Qatari Ministry of Interior has been successful in reducing the rate of crime in Qatar year on year. In 2018, 88.3% of total crimes committed were classified as minor – involving financial violations and non-criminal disputes.
Qatar's generous welfare system and extensive patronage for Qatari nationals and its small population reduce the risk of politically or economically motivated unrest. There have been minimal calls for democratic reforms to change the role of the Emir. There are no organized Qatari opposition groups, and the large population of migrant workers is unlikely to resort to violent protests given the high likelihood of consequent deportation.
The risk of war in the Persic Gulf (that would inevitably involve Qatar) is currently low, despite the incidents of tension that were common last year. The "cold war" between Iran and Saudi Arabia is presumably not going to develop into a conventional war. Qatar has both good relations with the US (US has military base on Qatar) and Iran; and the recent ending of the blockade from Saudi Arabia improve the security outlook.
There is a moderate risk of shootings and small IED attacks against Westerners and soft targets by jihadists. There is a very small proportion of Qatari jihadists fighting abroad compared with other nationalities, despite domestic support for Salafism. Potential targets in Qatar include Western residential and office buildings, hotels, international schools, and entertainment venues frequented by expatriates in the West Bay area. Western embassy staff and workers in the oil and gas industry are at moderate risk of one-off attacks while off-site, but such attacks are unlikely to cause significant material damage.
Overall, Qatar ranks 27 out of 163 within the 2020 Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Qatar is not currently among the most cyber-attacked countries in the world according to Kaspersky cyber threat map.
No vaccinations are required to enter the country.
Qatar ranks 82 out of 195 within the 2019 Global Health Security Index, a project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security (JHU), developed with The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Qatar has an arid climate. Summers, from May to October, are scorching (up to 46°C) and humid. During this time the Shamal, a violent and dusty wind, can provoke sandstorms. Conditions during the winter (November to April) are milder with cool nights and low levels of rainfall.
Sandstorms can occur at any time and regularly disrupt road and air traffic.
Rain, while rare, is generally violent and often leads to flash flooding, which can cause road accidents. Periods of heavy rain usually occur between October and March.
From April to October, temperatures can rise to 50°C (122°F). In the winter, nights can be cool with temperatures around 7°C (45 °F).
Qatar is located in a seismic zone. Strong tremors have previously been felt from powerful earthquakes with epicenters in neighboring Iran (e.g. April 2013) and Afghanistan (e.g. October 2015).
Any emergency situation can be monitored by the Technical Affairs Department at the National Command Center (NCC)......