Qatar’s Military Power and Diplomacy: The Emerging Roles of Small States in International Relations

Abstract

Qatar has sought political and military shelter for strategic protection and for enhancing the country’s regional and international profile. Qatar’s experience highlights that a small state does not ensure its security solely via military power. In a region of great geostrategic value and a site of numerous intrastate and interstate conflicts, the Qatari balancing act and the government’s attitude of “pragmatism” with regard to other regional and global powers proved the ability of small states to meet their domestic interests and security challenges with agility. The strategy of soft power allowed Qatar to enlarge its presence abroad and spread a unifying national identity. This is evident in its policies and mechanisms of mediation, multilateralism, and public diplomacy. In this regard, Qatari experience may be a rich source of knowledge and insights for other small states. Qatar’s experience demonstrates that international relations theory may need to adapt to the changing realities of the international system, which is increasingly influenced by the role of the small states. The traditional idea that small states are weak actors in the international system due to their lack of resources in terms of population, territory, economy, and military is now much contested.