FormalPara By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  • Know our concluding remarks about the study

  • Learn about our evaluation of establishment of nation branding in Qatar

  • Understand how Qatar used nation branding to deal with the regional crises/threats

6.1 Concluding Remarks

In order to protect its national identity and preserve its political sovereignty, Qatar has employed public diplomacy channels and nation branding as some strategic tools to establish a soft “defensive deterrence system” first and to achieve presence and status in the international arena. Soft power means the employment of tools of persuasion and co-optation and avoidance of pressure and intimidation methods in the management of international relations. This may include public diplomacy tools and the employment of cultural, educational, and creative dimensions or the application of economic aid and scholarships in the management of foreign relations. By adopting this model in building soft power, Qatar has diversified public diplomacy channels and soft power tools and distributed them on several interfaces in a harmonious practical framework that translates all the goals stated in Qatar Vision 2030.

Along the soft power fronts, Qatar has provided itself with a “shield” of strategic tools, with which it has become difficult for Qatar’s lands or sovereignty to be exposed to any danger of occupation, nibbling, annexation, or penetration in the shadows of the world. The capabilities of Qatar’s “soft power” have emerged during the 2017 crisis as the campaign did not receive any Arab or international support. In fact, many international platforms deplored and denounced the demands of the blockading countries who demanded the closure of Al Jazeera. However, the international community rejected the unjustified blockade of the channel.

During the crisis that besieged Qatar in 2017, Qatari diplomacy was able to confront the “demonization” propaganda, by strengthening the activity of its traditional diplomacy with public diplomacy. The various governmental and private sectors of Qatar moved to launch projects and initiatives that confirm that the blockade did not affect Qatar’s vision and steps toward the future on the one hand and enhance Qatar’s global role on the other. The most prominent of them was the announcement by Qatar Petroleum to raise the production capacity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Qatar from 77 million tons to 100 million tons annually by doubling and developing the southern sector of the North Field. The economists described this as enhancing Qatar’s position globally and making it an important figure in international energy organizations. In the same context, Qatar Airways announced the launch of new destinations and the purchase of more of the latest aircraft, and the company launched an advertising campaign—in what looked like an attempt to influence American public opinion, after Washington’s official position on the crisis was characterized by ambiguity and contradiction. The US Department of State emphasized Qatar Airways’ contributions to supporting the US economy by highlighting its investments in the US economy through the purchase of 332 aircraft manufactured in the United States with an estimated value of $91.8 billion. This provided 123,000 jobs directly in the US market and transferred 3.1 million visitors to the US annually, which helped support the US economy with an additional USD4 billion in 2016 alone. The Qatar Airways TV ad has garnered more than 8 million views on social media platforms. In the same context, Mwani Qatar (Qatar Ports) announced the inauguration of five new marine lines with the start of the expansion of Hamad Sea Port.

Al Jazeera was also active in mobilizing the world to confront the demands of the four countries to close Al Jazeera channels and some other media outlets including the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper and website. The demand was described by the British newspaper, The Guardian, as “ridiculous” and was condemned by the International Federation of Journalists. The international human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, considered the demand to close Al Jazeera not to be a punishment for Qatar but rather a punishment for millions of Arabs in the region by depriving them of important media coverage.

A quick analysis reveals that the 13 demands raised by the four countries against Qatar aimed to dismantle the soft power system that Qatar built since 1996. Moreover, the components of the Qatari “national character” combined with the arsenal of soft power that Qatar accumulated during the past two decades assisted Qatar in confronting the crisis by refuting the allegations of the four countries by strengthening the image and global reputation of the State of Qatar and its role in achieving peace around the world. While traditional diplomacy managed the chapters of the crisis on the basis of the constants of Qatar’s foreign policy based on good neighborliness, non-interference in internal affairs, and resolving disputes through dialogue, without compromising national sovereignty, the arsenal of soft power began to mobilize the balance it accumulated during these two decades to support traditional diplomacy and mobilize organizations. This significantly helped Qatar to confront the inhuman blockade and the propaganda discourse that attempts to “demonize Qatar” while emphasizing its pivotal role in fighting terrorism within the international coalition. If the crisis that Qatar faced with its neighbors was a test of Qatar’s soft capabilities, then it can be claimed that Qatari soft power succeeded in facing the crisis and the blockade. In view of the vital and effective role played by the national feature and the soft power system in protecting Qatar and its political entity during the crisis, it seems that the Qatari policy makers have become more interested in them. This means that Qatar will pay more attention and development to soft power in the future. This is evident in the call of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in his first speech after the outbreak of the crisis, to “develop our educational, research and media institutions and all our soft power sources at the international level, and in interaction with the best Qatari, Arab and foreign experiences” (Government Communications Office, 2017).

By being engaged in the process of nation branding, the state of Qatar achieved two main results. First, Qatar created a protective shield of strategic tools for itself. These tools made it difficult for other countries to attack this small state without arousing the attention of the world. Second is incorporating elements of soft power with the support of major powers, which helped Qatar to maintain its role in the region and internationally. These roles were acknowledged internationally during the crisis that resulted from the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Afghanistan’s recent crisis “provided Qatar with an opportunity to strengthen its position within the international community by virtue of playing the role of mediator and facilitator between the West and the Taliban. Qatar’s access and ties to both Washington and Taliban and its reputation as a neutral broker played an important role in its emergence as an important actor in Afghanistan” (www.vifindia.org).