By: Michael Sharnoff

On July 21, United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Alexander Vershbow went to Qatar to discuss methods of advancing U.S.-Qatar cooperation. In the past decade, the tiny, oil-rich Gulf Arab state of Qatar has emerged as a valuable United States ally for three reasons: it possesses the third biggest natural gas reserve in the world (after Russia and Iran); it quarters the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East; and it has served as a force for Middle East stability, mediating between warring factions in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and Sudan.

However, while Qatar has demonstrated its value as a U.S. ally, it has also undermined Washington by supporting Iran and its allies. In addition, Qatar controls the Al Jazeera satellite television network that often vilifies the U.S. The curious dichotomy of Qatar raises questions about its long-term potential as a friend of the U.S.

Natural Gas and Oil

Natural gas and oil exports represent a central component for strong Qatar-U.S ties.  Qatar’s proven natural gas and crude oil reserves (25,257 billion cubic meters and 15.21 billion barrels, respectively) have rendered the tiny Gulf state a leading oil-producing member. Indeed, Qatar has become second in Gross Domestic Product per capita worldwide.

Washington is the major supplier for Doha’s oil and gas industry. In December 2005, the Export-Import Bank funded a $403.5 million natural gas liquefaction plant in Qatar to export 7.8 million metric tons of gas annually to the U.S. Qatar’s eagerness to trade with the U.S. is a testament to mutual good will. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the U.S. surplus with Qatar was $2.6 billion in 2008.

Today, Washington is Qatar’s largest import partner and continued trade can be anticipated. Qatar recently announced a joint venture consisting of Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil Corp, a major U.S. oil and gas corporation, intend to sell $2.3 billion in bonds to fund the growth of Qatar's liquefied natural gas facilities. 

Al-Udeid 

In addition to hydrocarbons, Qatar provides the U.S. with military assets critical to its interests in the Middle East.

The two countries held their first bilateral military talks, known as the Military Consultative Committee, in Washington, D.C. in April 1994. These talks helped accelerate a greater U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf.  For its part, Qatar sought U.S. protection from aggressive neighbors seeking to exploit its natural resources, drawing from the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. As former U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Patrick N. Theros noted, "The Qataris have decided that their future lies in having the closest possible ties with the United States."

After 9/11, bilateral relations increased. Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani expanded the role of al-Udeid air base, located south of Doha containing approximately 3,330 U.S military personnel, to quarter the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, to strike against the Taliban in Afghanistan. In September 2002, when Washington prepared for war against Iraq, Qatar offered al-Udeid to station United States Central Command. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani reiterated the need for a large U.S. presence in a 2003 interview with CBS: “We need the super power to be with us because of the wealth which we are going to have in a very near future.”

Al-Udeid now has the longest runway (2.8 miles) in the Middle East, accommodates up to 120 aircraft, 10,000 troops and 50 warplanes and is situated in an ideal location for U.S. operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  

Mediator Role

Qatar has also demonstrated a capacity for regional mediation to help stabilize the Middle East, which has reinforced the perceived value of Qatar to the U.S.

In May 2008, Lebanese factional fighting erupted after Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s pro-U.S. government banned Hezbollah’s telecommunications network. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denounced the move as a "declaration of war." Pro-government and opposition militias battled in Beirut, leaving more than 81 people dead and 200 injured. Trying to compete with Arab heavyweights like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Qatar successfully brokered a power sharing government between the warring Lebanese groups, ending months of political uncertainty and sectarian violence. Qatar’s mediation has succeeded to this day, attested by Lebanon’s smooth, non-violent election in June.

Qatar has also worked to end the genocide in Darfur. Since 2003, Arab militias, backed by the Sudanese government, have committed mass human rights violations against Darfur’s indigenous tribes, leaving 300,000 people dead and 2.7 million displaced.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports since 2006, 250,000 Darfur refugees have sought shelter in Eastern Chad. Eastern Chad’s population is similar to Darfur, consisting of nomadic Arab tribes and black African farmers. Sudan has blamed Chadian President Idriss Deby, who shares the same ethnicity as many Darfur rebels, of supporting their struggle against Khartoum. Chad and Sudan severed relations, accusing the other of using Darfur as a proxy to destabilize their governments.

In May, Qatar brokered peace talks between Chad and Sudan.  Both agreed to end the violence and restore diplomatic relations. However, soon after brokering a truce, a Chadian official alleged that Sudan mobilized its forces against the Chadian capital N'Djamena, a charge Sudan denied.

Despite this and other setbacks, Qatar announced in July another round of reconciliation talks would occur. Last month, Qatari mediation helped bolster confidence on both sides by securing a prisoner exchange between government and rebel forces. According to the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration supports Qatar’s diplomatic efforts at peacefully resolving the Darfur crisis.

Qatar has also attempted to mediate between warring Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah. In January 2006, Hamas defeated its more secular rival Fatah in Palestinian parliamentary elections. The U.S. has insisted it will only negotiate with a Palestinian unity government that renounces violence, recognizes Israel, and adheres to previous PLO agreements. Accordingly, in October 2006, Qatar presented a six-point initiative to Hamas and Fatah leaders, calling for a Palestinian unity government that recognizes Israel, accepts a two-state solution, and agrees to release IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit. Although the initiative was rejected, Qatar’s efforts were compatible with U.S. policy.

In 2008, Qatar offered again to mediate between Hamas and Fatah. Despite the fact the Palestinian factions continue to remain at odds, the Obama administration has welcomed efforts to unify the Palestinians as a means to expedite Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Al Jazeera

While Qatari trade, military cooperation, and diplomatic efforts has played a positive role for U.S.-Qatar ties, its control of the pan-Arab news network Al Jazeera has often run counter to U.S. interests in the Middle East.

Launched in 1996, Al Jazeera (Arabic for “the island”) has been praised for debating issues including freedom, democracy, liberalism, and reform. However, critics also blame Qatar of using the station as propaganda to deflect criticism away from the Emir.

Since its inception, Al Jazeera has frequently vilified the U.S. Washington has accused Al Jazeera of being a mouthpiece for terrorists; Al Jazeera regularly airs segments of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and inciting Muslims to carry out violence against the West. This has led some to question the journalistic integrity of Al Jazeera, or to suggest that it serves to perpetuate anti-U.S. Islamist sentiment.

In May 2003, Mohammed Jassem al-Ali, the director general of Al Jazeera, was fired after claims he cooperated with Saddam Hussein’s intelligence agencies. Later that year, accusations of an Al Jazeera-terrorist connection resurfaced after leading correspondent Tayseer Alouni was arrested in Grenada for his ties to al-Qaeda. In March 2008, prominent American reporter David Marash quit over the station’s lack of professional and ethical standards. Al Jazeera’s bias was exposed yet again in November 2008, after it hosted a birthday party for Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, released from an Israeli prison for murdering three members of an Israeli family in 1979.

Qatar’s Pro-Iranian Foreign Policy

Qatar’s decision to support Iran and its allies also undercuts Washington’s efforts in the region, and further calls into question Qatar’s ability to effectively serve U.S. interests.

Since 2003, the U.S. and international community have tried to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program. However, in July 2006, Qatar was the only Arab country to reject a U.N. Security Council resolution against Tehran, which demanded that Iran suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities. During the December 2007 annual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) conference in Doha, Qatar broke ranks with GCC protocol by inviting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, weakening U.S. prospects for a united Gulf Arab front against Iran.

Western preparations for a possible pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities have prompted Iran to seek a defense pact with Qatar. This month, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Qatari Chief of Staff General Ali bin Hamad al-Attiyah met in Tehran to discuss forming a Qatari-Iranian military committee.

Economic cooperation between Qatar and Iran has risen steadily. In October 2008, Qatari and Iranian oil ministers agreed to form a gas cartel with Russia, modeled after OPEC, to oversee gas prices. Last May, Qatar and Iran approved $100 million in bonds to finance South Pars, a $770 million joint natural gas field located in the Persian Gulf. South Pars is the world’s largest natural gas reservoir and is slated for completion in 2012.

Qatar’s association in the pro-Iranian alliance is also demonstrated by its support for Syria, Iran’s closest Arab ally. The U.S. withdrew its ambassador to Damascus in 2005, after Syria was accused of murdering former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Consequently, U.S.-Syria relations have worsened over Syria’s attempt to build a nuclear facility, role in destabilizing Iraq, and its support of Hezbollah and Hamas.

To project unity with Tehran, Qatar tried to break Syria from regional isolation. Qatar remained the sole Arab country to abstain in voting on Security Council Resolution 1757, which proposed creating an international tribunal for the Hariri assassination.

Qatar’s has also sought economic cooperation with Syria. In February 2008, Doha and Damascus launched a $350 million joint tourism project in Syria. This month, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani sent a message to Syrian President Bashar Assad praising the “distinguished brotherly relations” between the two countries.

Qatar also enjoys close ties with Hamas, an Iranian proxy. Hamas is a U.S. designated terrorist organization known for its indiscriminate rocketing and suicide attacks against Israel. Qatar-Hamas relations expanded after Hamas defeated Fatah in the 2006 elections. Qatar was the only GCC memeber that abstained from denouncing the June 2007 Hamas coup in Gaza. It also remains the only Arab country to defy U.S. sanctions against the Islamist group. Since 2006, Qatar has channeled $50 million to Hamas, and has reportedly funneled hundreds of millions since.

Qatar’s support for Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy and designated terrorist organization, is equally strong. In 1983, Hezbollah bombed marine barracks in Lebanon, killing 241 servicemen. In July 2006, Hezbollah instigated a war with Israel by firing rockets into northern Israel and kidnapping two Israeli soldiers. Egypt recently revealed it arrested 49 Hezbollah operatives for plotting attacks in the Sinai Peninsula.

In 2006, Qatar helped Hezbollah by blocking U.N. Resolution 1701, which ended its summer war against Israel. The resolution stipulated that only members of the Lebanese military are permitted to bear arms, but Qatar, like Iran, rejects this notion.

Qatar’s support for Hezbollah is not just rhetorical. According to STRATFOR Global Intelligence, Doha has already outspent Tehran this year, by allocating approximately $300 million to Hezbollah, which is 1.2% of Qatar’s total expenditures.

Conclusion

Although Qatar has demonstrated a commitment of close cooperation with the United States, it is clear that it also undermines Washington’s foreign policy in the region. Indeed, last March Senator John Kerry underscored the paradox: "Qatar can't continue to be an American ally on Monday that sends money to Hamas on Tuesday." Thus, while Doha continues working against Washington by allying with its enemies, its capacity to assist U.S. efforts to promote peace and stability remain unclear.

Michael Sharnoff is a Middle East Opinion Contributor and is pursuing his PhD in Middle Eastern Studies at Kings College, London.