The History Book Club discussion

This thread is focused on Qatar.

Since we are doing the Middle Eastern challenge; setting up one thread per Middle Eastern country is a good idea.

Qatar: A Modern History

by Allen James Fromherz

Synopsis:

What role does Qatar play in the Middle East and how does it differ from the other Gulf states?

How has the ruling Al-Thani family shaped Qatar from a traditional tribal society and British protectorate to a modern state? How has Qatar become an economic superpower with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world? What are the social, political, and economic consequences of Qatar's extremely rapid development?

In this groundbreaking history of modern Qatar, Allen J. Fromherz presents a full portrait that analyzes Qatar's crucial role in the Middle East and its growing regional influence within a broader historical context.

Drawing on original sources in Arabic, English, and French as well as his own fieldwork in the Middle East, the author deftly traces the influence of the Ottoman and British empires and Qatar's Gulf neighbors on the country prior to Qatar's meteoric rise in the post-independence era.

Fromherz gives particular weight to the nation's economic and social history, from its modest origins in the pearling and fishing industries to the considerable economic clout it exerts today, a clout that comes with having the second-highest natural gas reserves in the region.

He also looks at what the future holds for Qatar's economy as the country tries to diversify beyond oil and gas. Furthermore, the book examines the paradox of Qatar where monarchy, traditional tribal culture, and conservative Islamic values appear to coexist with ultra modern development and a large population of foreign workers who outnumber Qatari citizens.

This book is as unique as the country it documents -- a multi-faceted picture of the political, cultural, religious, social, and economic make up of modern Qatar and its significance within the Gulf Cooperation Council and the wider region.

Other books about Qatar:

by Mohamed Althani

by Habibur Rahman

by Jill Crystal

by Nasser M Beydoun

Thanks Karen

I have been onsidering
by Rachel Hajar

You are welcome.

Thanks Libby

Interesting article

A upcoming book:
Release date: December 15, 2014

Qatar and the Arab Spring

by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen (no photo)

Synopsis:

Qatar and the Arab Spring offers a frank examination of Qatar's startling rise to regional and international prominence, describing how its distinctive policy stance toward the Arab Spring emerged. In only a decade, Qatari policy-makers - led by the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and his prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani - catapulted Qatar from a sleepy backwater to a regional power with truly international reach. In addition to pursuing an aggressive state-branding strategy with its successful bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar forged a reputation for diplomatic mediation that combined intensely personalized engagement with financial backing and favorable media coverage through the Al-Jazeera.

These factors converged in early 2011 with the outbreak of the Arab Spring revolts in North Africa, Syria, and Yemen, which Qatari leaders saw as an opportunity to seal their regional and international influence, rather than as a challenge to their authority, and this guided their support of the rebellions against the Gaddafi and Assad regimes in Libya and Syria.

From the high watermark of Qatari influence after the toppling of Gaddafi in 2011, that rapidly gave way to policy overreach in Syria in 2012, Coates Ulrichsen analyses Qatari ambition and capabilities as the tiny emirate sought to shape the transitions in the Arab world.

The Glass Palace: Illusions of Freedom and Democracy in Qatar

by Nasser M Beydoun (no photo)

Synopsis:

When Americans read in today's news that Qatar is funding rebel groups across the Middle East, few of us have any idea what Qatar is or how it is run. A nation of perhaps 250,000 locals served by 1.35 million foreign workers, the emirate is burning its gas and oil revenue at a break-neck pace in an effort to build a position on the global stage.

Is Qatar actually a suitable ally or a legitimate partner for the United States? Under Qatari labor law, foreign workers are actually owned, for all practical purposes, by their Qatari sponsors in a system akin to slavery. This book chronicles the experience of an American executive working in Qatar and delves into Qatar's feudal work-sponsorship system, showing that an economic great leap forward is not necessarily accompanied by modernization, despite superficial emblems; that prosperity and democracy need not go hand in hand; and that being a US ally may be totally unrelated to any notion of human rights or personal liberties. There are other Western expats still trapped in Qatar. Yet American workers, students and others blithely interact with Qatar as if it were a “normal” (i.e., Westernized) nation where one may navigate with confidence. It is nothing of the sort.

In the meantime Qatar, under the leadership of an emir who overthrew his own father, is fostering international unrest across the entire Arab world, while racing to build a modern-looking city from scratch. Some of the economic, environmental and demographic assumptions underlying these plans are worthy of another 1000 tales from Arabia.

American businessman Nasser Beydoun found out for himself how quickly the Qataris are moving when he embarked on an exciting new career path, leaving his hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, to move to Qatar to manage the opening of several chain restaurants as part of the sudden economic boom there. It didn't take long for the deal to turn sour, but Beydoun didn't realize the extent of his problem until he tried to leave the country and was stopped at the border. In this book he paints a general picture of life in this fantastical realm while relaying his personal struggle to escape a legal runaround worthy of Kafka's novels.

Thank you Teri

Hello American Lady Creature: What I Learned as a Woman in Qatar

by Lisa L. Kirchner

Synopsis:

Lisa Kirchner was 35 when she married the man of her dreams. They moved to Qatar for one last adventure before starting a family, but things quickly derailed. As the marketing director for Carnegie Mellon University's branch campus in Doha, she ran into challenges supervising Muslim men. Like when she learned it's haram, or forbidden by the Quran, for a man to look at a woman who is not his wife. As a self-described "friend-dependent," she often felt a crushing loneliness. Then she learned she'd never have children. At least they had each other. 'He pulled me close and said, "Baby, I didn't marry you for your ability to reproduce." I never wanted anything more than to be loved like that.' If only the story ended there. At the heart of this narrative is a magical place and time in history - Qatar at the turn of the 21st century - that shaped her own radical transformation. Told with powerful insight and dark humor. It's the author's first book. LISA KIRCHNER was once simultaneously the dating columnist for an alternative newsweekly, bridal editor for a society rag and the religion reporter for a gay and lesbian newspaper. She lives in New York City.

Overland to Qatar

by Alex West (no photo)

Synopsis:

This short true story is about my own very first trip by truck to Doha in Qatar way past Saudi Arabia and over 10,000 miles round trip.

It tells of the hardships and dangers through a wintry Europe and across a very inhospitable Arabian desert.

Storm on the Horizon: Khafji--The Battle that Changed the Course of the Gulf War

by David J. Morris (no photo)

Synopsis:

"Storm on the Horizon" is the little-known story of the key land battle of Desert Storm: the Battle for Khafji -- and how that engagement has become part of military history. Combining some of the most powerful writing on war ever with a Marine's eyeview of combat, former Marine officer David J. Morris has brilliantly recreated this crucial battle that nearly changed the outcome of the Persian Gulf War. "Storm on the Horizon" is war writing at its finest.On January 29, 1991, Saddam Hussein launched his three best armored divisions across the Kuwaiti border and into the Islamic Holy Land of Saudi Arabia. Their mission: to disrupt the massive U.S.-led Coalition preparing to evict them from Kuwait, and to bloody the Americans on CNN. Caught without warning in the path of this juggernaut were scattered groups of lightly armed U.S. Marines and Special Forces soldiers. "Storm on the Horizon" is the gripping and compelling story of how these elite fighting men escaped the Iraqi onslaught and reversed the assault with an unprecedented combination of high-tech weaponry and American know-how. This is the story of the first battle of the smart-bomb age.

"Storm on the Horizon" drops you in the middle of the most intense battle of the Persian Gulf War. The Marines are trapped and outnumbered, their weapons no match against the Iraqi tanks bearing down on them. Their only lifeline to the rear is a barely functioning radio. Drawing upon extensive veteran interviews and previously classified reports, David J. Morris's vivid minute-by-minute narrative takes you through the battle from its beginning as a scattered collection of skirmishes to its fiery final act in the streets of the abandonedSaudi Arabian town of Khafji. Morris captures this ordeal through the eyes of the men who were there, giving readers a rare front-row seat to an incredible sequence of events. Max Morton, the pilot of a Cobra attack helicopter is forced to make an emergency landing in the heart of Khafji as the Iraqis are attacking. He and his crew narrowly escape after locating a tank of mystery fuel at a local oil refinery. Medic Kevin Callahan, member of a team of Marines caught behind enemy lines, watches helplessly as a female U.S. Army soldier and her male comrade are captured by Iraqi soldiers and spirited to Baghdad. Ronald Tull, suffering untold wounds, wakes up next to his burning light-armored vehicle thinking that it has been struck by an enemy tank round. Only later does he learn the full horror of the events that led up to the death of his seven buddies who were on board.

But "Storm on the Horizon" is far more than a battle saga. It is a thoughtful examination of a new generation of fighting men coming to terms with its own war, a journey into the minds of men under supreme stress, and a heartfelt account of the innocence lost in a heartbeat and mourned for a lifetime.

At once an unflinching chronicle of men at war and an appalling tableau, "Storm on the Horizon" looks into the savage heart of modern combat and raises troubling questions about the era of conflict that lies ahead.

Qatar & Britain: Celebrating a Century

by Khalid Al Mansouri (no photo)

Synopsis:

When Qatar threw off the Ottoman yoke in 1915, Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al-Thani sealed an understanding with Britain that was to evolve from a basic military alliance to a close trading partnership. Today the alliance runs deep. Quite apart from the economic ties that relate to Qatar’s energy reserves (more than 20% of Britain’s gas requirements are supplied by Qatar) and aside from the substantial role played by British companies in helping Qatar to develop her infrastructure requirements, there are ties in education, politics and culture that bind the two countries far more closely than might be immediately apparent.

Presenting accounts from some twenty-five individuals (both Qatari and British) who each had a role to play in that relationship, this celebration of the mutual links will distill a considerable pool of wisdom and experience into a readable and engaging narrative. Richly illustrated with portraits of the interviewees alongside archival photographs, Qatar & Britain: Celebrating a Century Together, will be a valuable addition to the understanding of the two nations’ shared history.

Qatar: Conditions, Issues, and U.S. Relations

by Donald Sullivan (no photo)

Synopsis:

Qatar, a small peninsular country in the Persian Gulf, emerged as a partner of the United States in the mid-1990s and currently serves as host to major U.S. military facilities. Qatar holds the third largest proven natural gas reserves in the world, and is the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. Its small citizenry enjoys the world’s highest per capita income. Since the mid-1990s, Qatari leaders have overseen a course of major economic growth, increased diplomatic engagement, and limited political liberalization. This book discusses the conditions of Qatar, as well as the issues and its relations with the United States.

After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies

by Christopher Davidson

Synopsis:

The Gulf monarchies (Saudi Arabia and its five smaller neighbours: the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain) have long been governed by highly autocratic and seemingly anachronistic regimes. Yet despite bloody conflicts on their doorsteps, fast-growing populations, and powerful modernising and globalising forces impacting on their largely conservative societies, they have demonstrated remarkable resilience. Obituaries for these traditional monarchies have frequently been penned, but even now these absolutist, almost medieval, entities still appear to pose the same conundrum as before: in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring and the fall of incumbent presidents in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, the apparently steadfast Gulf monarchies have, at first glance, re-affirmed their status as the Middle East s only real bastions of stability. In this book, however, noted Gulf expert Christopher Davidson contends that the collapse of these kings, emirs, and sultans is going to happen, and was always going to. While the revolutionary movements in North Africa, Syria, and Yemen will undeniably serve as important, if indirect, catalysts for the coming upheaval, many of the same socio-economic pressures that were building up in the Arab republics are now also very much present in the Gulf monarchies. It is now no longer a matter of if but when the West s steadfast allies fall. This is a bold claim to make but Davidson, who accurately forecast the economic turmoil that afflicted Dubai in 2009, has an enviable record in diagnosing social and political changes afoot in the region.

Qatar: Small State, Big Politics

by Mehran Kamrava (no photo)

Synopsis:

The Persian Gulf state of Qatar has fewer than 2 million inhabitants, virtually no potable water, and has been an independent nation only since 1971. Yet its enormous oil and gas wealth has permitted the ruling al Thani family to exert a disproportionately large influence on regional and even international politics. Qatar is, as Mehran Kamrava explains in this knowledgeable and incisive account of the emirate, a "tiny giant": although severely lacking in most measures of state power, it is highly influential in diplomatic, cultural, and economic spheres.

Kamrava presents Qatar as an experimental country, building a new society while exerting what he calls "subtle power." It is both the headquarters of the global media network Al Jazeera and the site of the U.S. Central Command's Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center. Qatar has been a major player during the European financial crisis, it has become a showplace for renowned architects, several U.S. universities have established campuses there, and it will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Qatar's effective use of its subtle power, Kamrava argues, challenges how we understand the role of small states in the global system. Given the Gulf state's outsized influence on regional and international affairs, this book is a critical and timely account of contemporary Qatari politics and society.

Bedouins Of Qatar

by Klaus Ferdinand (no photo)

Synopsis:

The al-Naim and al-Murrah Bedouins are two different groups of nomadic peoples in modern Qatar. The al-Naim lived an almost stationary existence by the seacoast of northern Qatar, often moving by boat and engaging in pearl fishing. In complete contrast, the al-Murrah of South Qatar traversed the vast and sandy reaches of southem Arabia on camelback. This book is a product of The Carlsberg Foundation Nomad Research Project, which draws on the rich Middle Eastern and Central Asian ethnographic collections of the National Museum of Denmark, as well as on recent social and cultural anthropological studies of nomadic groups in Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf and North Africa. This volume incorporates fieldwork carried out amongst the Qatari Bedouins in 1959, just before their lives were radically altered by a rapid expansion of the oil industry. Its chief focus is on everyday life and adaptations to the natural and social environment as well as on these groups' material culture, especially the structure and function of the tent. A richly illustrated catalogue of artifacts is supplemented by a unique collection of photographs which document the lives of both groups during winter and spring. A record of fast disappearing customs and folk arts, "Bedouins of Qatar" also offers a striking example of a fragile way of life whose traditions may soon be lost under the pressures of development.

The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudia Arabia, and Qatar

by Frederick F. Anscombe (no photo)

Synopsis:

Aiming to dispel the notion that Britain is exclusively responsible for the formation of the Persian Gulf's modern states, this text puts into perspective the central roles played by the Ottoman empire and explains the reasons behind the Ottoman occupation of the Persian Gulf in 1871.

Jassim the Leader: Founder of Qatar

by Mohamed Althani (no photo)

Synopsis:

The Gulf state of Qatar tops the Forbes list of the world's richest countries. In 2010, the country had the world's highest GDP per capita, and its reserves of oil and natural gas are vast. It has been estimated that Qatar will invest more than $120 billion in the energy sector over the next ten years. Yet Qatar has climbed to this pinnacle of wealth and influence in a remarkably short time, and from a starting point of obscurity and insignificance. This astonishing transition is the direct result of the efforts nearly 200 years ago of one visionary man - Jassim bin Muhammad Bin Thani, known as 'the Leader'. Qatar in the 1830s was a fragmented region, a desert peninsula without security or borders, where coastal communities depended on pearling for survival, while constantly at the mercy of tribal raiders. Jassim's background in this precarious environment led to his understanding that the gap between tribal settled peoples must be bridged, and then to his harnessing of regional conflicts to create a unified Qatari state. Skilfully allying with Ottoman forces to fend off the British, Jassim established power in the newly rebuilt capital, Doha, eventually becoming the first leader of the new country.Little known outside Qatar, Jassim's extraordinary achievement cannot be understated. By the time of his death on the eve of the First World War, both the Ottomans and the British had recognised Qatar's autonomy, and the way was open for the country he had created to move steadily forward to its enviable economic position today.

Discovering Qatar

by Frances Gillespie (no photo)

Synopsis:

Discovering Qatar evolved from a series of features on the archaeology, natural history and traditional life of Qatar that Frances Gillespie began publishing in a national newspaper in the late 1990s. There was little available on these subjects for the general reader, and many people, especially those involved in education, asked for them to be.

The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century

by Mario Kozah (no photo)

Synopsis:

This edited volume presents a number of Syriac monastic and ascetical writers from the seventh century who were born and educated in Beth Qatraye (Syriac for Qatar or Region of the Qataris) of which Isaac of Nineveh of Qatar is considered to be the most influential of all Syriac monastic writers and who continues to exert a strong influence in monastic circles today. Many of the others like Dadisho of Qatar, Gabriel bar Lipeh of Qatar, Abraham bar Lipeh of Qatar, Gabriel Arya of Qatar, and Ahob of Qatar were important Syriac writers on spirituality and commentators or exegetes within the Church of the East tradition. These writers, who all originated from the Qatar region and were educated there, reveal the presence of an important school of education that rivaled in its sophistication the other more well-known schools such as the School of Nisibis or the School of Edessa. The Syriac writers of Qatar themselves produced some of the best and most sophisticated writing to be found in all Syriac literature of the seventh century. The Syriac writers of Qatar have not received the scholarly attention that they deserve in the last half century. This volume seeks to redress this underdevelopment by setting the standard for further research in the sub-field of Beth Qatraye studies. This volume includes papers presented at an international conference held at Qatar University in collaboration with the American University of Beirut entitled "The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century." The conference took place on 26-27 February, 2014. It was the first of its kind in the Gulf Region, and it brought together some of the most prominent scholars in Syriac Studies. The conference was part of a three year research project funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) under its National Priorities Research Program (NPRP).

Britain's Revival and Fall in the Gulf: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the Trucial States, 1950-71

by Simon C. Smith (no photo)

Synopsis:

Britain's relationship with the Gulf region remains one of the few unexplored episodes in the study of British decolonization. The decision, announced in 1968, to leave the Gulf within three years represented an explicit recognition by Britain that its 'East of Suez' role was at an end. This book examines the decision-making process which underpinned this reversal and considers the interaction between British decision-making, and local responses and initiatives, in shaping the modern Gulf. Using sources previously unavailable to scholars, Britain's Revival and Fall in the Gulf is a valuable addition to the studies on the modern Gulf.

Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, And The Uae: Challenges Of Security

by Anthony H. Cordesman (no photo)

Synopsis:

This volume examines the changing economic and internal security challenges faced by the Gulf countries and the problems they face with Iran, Iraq, and other Gulf states. The special military and security needs of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are analyzed here in detail, as are their growing demographic problems and export plans.

The Ugly Game: The Qatari Plot to Buy the World Cup

by Heidi Blake (no photo)

Synopsis:

When the tiny desert state of Qatar won the rights to host the 2022 World Cup, the news was greeted with shock and disbelief. How had a country with almost no football infrastructure or tradition, a high terror risk and searing summer temperatures of 50C beaten more established countries with stronger bids? The story behind the Qatari success soon developed into one of the greatest sporting scandals of our time.
Allegations of corruption were soon flying, and when the Sunday Times Insight team received a cache of hundreds of millions of documents from a whistleblower, the contents of the FIFA Files became a global sensation, unearthing the corruption that lay at the heart of the bidding process.
Now in this remarkable new book by the Sunday Times journalists at the heart of the investigation, Heidi Blake and Jonathan Calvert, comes the most comprehensive account yet of what happened and who was involved. Above all, it explains why, despite all the evidence, FIFA under Sepp Blatter continues to support Qatar - even to the extent of publishing an edited and abbreviated report into the process that was immediately denounced by its original author. The Ugly Game is undoubtedly the biggest sporting story of the year.

The Fires of Spring: A Post-Arab Spring Journey Through the Turbulent New Middle East - Tunisia, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt

by Shelly Culbertson

Synopsis:

The "Arab Spring" all started when a young Tunisian fruit-seller set himself on fire in protest of a government official confiscating his apples without cause and slapping his face. The aftermath of that one personal protest grew to become the Middle East movement known as the Arab Spring – a wave of disparate events that included revolutions, protests, government overthrows, hopeful reform movements, and bloody civil wars.

This book will be the first to bring the post Arab Spring world to light in a holistic context. It is a narrative of the author Shelly Culbertson’s journey through six countries of the Middle East, describing countries, historical perspective, and interviews with revolution and government figures.

Culbertson, RAND Middle East analyst and former U.S. State Department officer who has been involved with the Middle East for two decades, is uniquely equipped to analyze the current social, political, economic, and cultural effects of the movement. With honesty, empathy, and expert historical accuracy, Culbertson strives to answer the questions “what led to the Arab Spring,” "what is it like there now," and "what trends after the Arab Spring are shaping the future of the Middle East?"

The Fires of Spring tells the story by weaving together a sense of place, history, insight about key issues of our time, and personal stories and adventures. It navigates street life and peers into ministries, mosques, and women's worlds. It delves into what Arab Spring optimism was about, and at the same time sheds light on the pain and dysfunction that continues to plague some parts of the region.

Qatar: Development of an Oil Economy

by Ragaei Al Mallakh (no photo)

Synopsis:

No region in the world has seen so much development activity in the last ten years as the Gulf area. Since 'black gold' catapulted the oil-producing countries into the limelight of the international political and economic scene, there has been a proliferation of studies on the larger exporting states. However, many of the so-called 'small countries' have been neglected in this exercise.

This book presents the first detailed examination of the bases and extent of economic development in Qatar and considers the need to translate the petroleum-generated growth into viable, self-sustained development. Qatar, though not one of the oil 'giants', was first in the field of oil development and exhibits a number of special features not shared by its Gulf neighbours: for example in pre-oil boom days it was already in advance of many other Gulf states in the field of education; it has a modest agriculture sector and there is a comparatively strong attachment to the land; and finally it has played an important role in OPEC as a member of the 'moderate price' camp.

The individual chapters trace the development of the oil industry, outline public financing and economic policy and sketch the issues involved in industrialisation, absorptive capacity and agricultural development. Examination is made of the social and physical infrastructure as well as money and banking, and the international linkages in trade, foreign aid, economic cooperation efforts and investment opportunities are elucidated. Planners in Qatar know that their revenue base in petroleum is finite, and thus investment of present surplus needs careful planning. The book therefore also outlines current government priorities and suggests areas for future investments.

Constructing Qatar: Migrant Narratives from the Margins of the Global System

by Yogamaya Mantha (no photo)

Synopsis:

Every year, tens of thousands of men and women from South Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world journey to Qatar and the other petroleum-rich states of the Arabian peninsula to work. As construction workers, drivers, servants, accountants, shopkeepers, custodians, general laborers, and countless other vocations, these men and women toil in relative obscurity. Constructing Qatar is an attempt to illuminate the experiences and perspectives of these transnational labor migrants. The stories carry the reader from the villages of Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and many other places to the labor camps of Qatar. The chapters were authored by six researchers: Elma Atic, Nora Biary, Zaid Haque, Elizabeth Jose, Yogamaya Mantha and Marwa Saleh. In total, the book contains eighteen meticulously crafted migration stories, two photo essays by Kristin Giordano, and an introduction by editors Andrew Gardner (University of Puget Sound) and Autumn Watts (Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar).

Delivering on Doha: Farm Trade And the Poor

by Kimberly Ann Elliot (no photo)

Synopsis:

It is frequently asserted that agricultural liberalization by the United States, European Union, and other rich countries is the key to making the global trade negotiations launched in Doha, Qatar, in 2001 a "development round." Agricultural market liberalization is essential in achieving a successful Doha Round agreement because these are the most protected markets remaining in most rich countries. But the implications for developing countries, especially the poorest, are more complex than the current debate suggests. This volume examines the structure of agricultural support in rich countries and explores the challenges as well as opportunities that developing countries might face if the Doha Round succeeds in reforming OECD agriculture policies.

Policy-Making in a Transformative State: The Case of Qatar

by M. Evren Tok (no photo)

Synopsis:

This book explores, in a series of detailed case studies, how public policy is actually made in Qatar. While Qatar is a Gulf monarchy, its governance is complex. Other analysts have tried to come to grips with this complexity using qualified descriptions of the system such as 'late rentier, ' 'pluralized autocracy, ' 'tribal democracy, ' or 'soft authoritarian.' The authors of the volume use the lens of a transformative state. Qatar is deliberately engaged in a rapid process of radical economic and societal transformation. That process has its contradictions and tensions, particularly with regards to achieving a balance between Islam, social traditions, and modernity. This book explores how it also has a specific policy dynamic of generating ideas and institutions, developing policy and program designs, implementation and coordination.

Al-Khor Island: Investigating Coastal Exploitation in Bronze Age Qatar

by Robert Carter Jr. (no photo)

Synopsis:

Report on archaeological investigations at Al-Khor Island, Qatar. Chapter headings are: Introduction; Survey & Excavation; The Pottery of Al-Khor Island; Discussion and Conclusions. There is also an illustrated catalogue of the archaeological features. Excavated remains dated to the Bronze Age, and Sasanian and Islamic periods.

National Museum of Qatar



Website: National Museum of Qatar

Synopsis:

This museum will give voice to Qatar’s heritage whilst celebrating its future.

Visitors can learn about Qatar's ancestors and the formation of early cities, as well the modernization of Qatari society. Exhibitions will combine historic objects and contemporary influences, opening up a dialogue around the impact of rapid change.

Innovative presentation techniques will excite audiences and push boundaries. Entire walls will become cinematic screens, individual cocoons will hold oral histories and handheld mobile devices will guide people through thematic displays.

More:

by Karen Exell (no photo)

An upcoming book:
Release date: August 10, 2020

Masters of the Pearl: A History of Qatar

by Michael Quentin Morton

Synopsis:

Qatar is a country of spectacular contrasts: from pearl fishing, its main industry until the 1930s, to gas and oil, which generate immense wealth today; it has famously been at the centre of both triumph and controversy in recent years for hosting the 2022 fifa World Cup. Almost a lifetime since he grew up in Qatar, Michael Quentin Morton writes about the country's colourful past and its astonishing present. The book is filled with stories about the people of this land: the tribes and the travellers, the seafarers and slaves - as much a part of Qatar's history as its rulers and their wealth.

The opaque Arabian world guards its secrets well, but Masters of the Pearl penetrates the veil to shed light on a country that until now has defied explanation.

Another:
Release date: August 29, 2023

From Black Gold to Frozen Gas: How Qatar Became an Energy Superpower

by Michael D. Tusiani (no photo)

Synopsis:

Today, Qatar is among the world’s wealthiest countries. Its rich hydrocarbon resources have transformed this small Gulf state into an energy powerhouse, funded its outsized global ambitions, and allowed it to forge an identity separate from those of its large and powerful neighbors.

Drawing on Michael D. Tusiani’s firsthand accounts and deep personal experience in the energy sector and Anne-Marie Johnson’s years of reporting, this book explores how Qatar became a major player in the global energy market. It follows the twists and turns of Qatar’s road to riches, from the first interest by British and American oil companies in the 1920s to the decades it took to develop the North field―the world’s largest gas field―following its discovery in 1971 through the country’s emergence as one of the world’s leading exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the 2000s.

From Black Gold to Frozen Gas details the technical, financial, and political challenges involved in getting Qatar’s first LNG projects off the ground. It shows how, despite missteps and setbacks, the foundations of today’s Qatar were laid over many decades. And it chronicles epic rivalries within the ruling Al Thani family, among oil companies, and in the geopolitics of the energy landscape.

Part historical analysis, part in-the-room narrative, From Black Gold to Frozen Gas is the definitive account of oil and gas development in Qatar.