The Emir & the Colonel: Qatar’s role in Libya
Qatar’s intervention in Libya may have helped cement its role as a world player, but has it been overly ambitious?
Calling themselves the ‘Friends of Libya,’ 63 world leaders met in Paris on Thursday to discuss the country’s future.
Among them, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Al-Thani admits that Muammar Gaddafi could not have been toppled without NATO, but he did point out the Arab League could have done more.
Qatar was the first Arab nation to support the allied forces and send its jets into Libya; a move praised by Western leaders who said the intervention was a turning point for the region.
But as the Gulf emirate works to cement its role as a world player, is it being overly ambitious and what might the potential dangers be?
Inside Story, with presenter Teymoor Nabili, discusses with guests: Jassim Sultan, a Qatari historian; Mansoor Alarayedh, the chairman of the Gulf Council for Foreign Relations; and David Roberts, the deputy director of the Royal United Services Institute in Qatar.