Qatar's Pursuit of Autonomy
This book explores the transformation of Qatar's foreign policy strategies since gaining independence, with a specific focus on its gradual political emancipation from Saudi influence over the past five decades. It highlights the complex regional dynamics and evolving balance of power between the two prominent states in the Gulf. This book critically examines different phases in Qatar's pursuit of autonomy, from its pre-independence years through to the transformative leadership of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the watershed events of the Arab Spring, and the 2017 diplomatic crisis. Academics, bureaucrats, policymakers, and diplomats whose responsibilities include knowledge of Qatar’s foreign policy strategies and relations with Saudi Arabia would find this book very useful for their work.
Dr. Matthew Merrington has a long and enduring interest in the Middle East dating back thirty years. He has three tertiary qualifications in Middle East Studies from the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University. He has experience working in central Sudan and Al Abyan province in Yemen as a logistician for Doctors Without Borders and has travelled extensively throughout the political Middle East including in Pakistan, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Israel, and over fourty other countries on every continent. He has also served for Australia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in East Timor and the Middle East Desk for Australia's Department of Defence. Dr Merrington has dedicated this book to his inspiring children, Sebastian and Charlotte.
