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Author : V. Trubnikov
Board Member, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
THE ARAB SPRING has been one of the most sensitive issues in the
world for more than two years now - hence a nonstop flood of infor-
mation, chronicles and analyses. Standing apart from them is a recently
published monograph by Eldar Kasaev, a well-known expert on the
Middle East, "Qatar in the 21st Century: Current Trends and Economic
Development Forecasts."
As is clear from the author's preface, his work is not based on a range
of Russian and foreign publications, because the latest monograph an-
alyzing Qatari economic development and production came out in 2000,
and since then "the Qatari economic situation has changed dramatically
- largely due to its turn into a powerful, global-scale gas trader" (p. 8).
The author underscores that a global financial crisis of 2008-2009 did not decrease direct foreign
investment in Qatar's economy: on the contrary, it reached its peak in 2009 at $8.13 billion. Par-
adoxically, in 2011. foreign investment dropped sharply almost to zero. Kasaev avoids categorical
statements as he studies the above phenomenon which is only understandable: conclusive state-
ments require a broader range of data than was accessible at the moment.
Kasaev's greatest achievement is a detailed analysis of the basic trends in Qatari economic de-
velopment in the early 21st century and up to 2017 or over.
I fully agree with the monograph's leitmotif: "Sustainable development of the national economy,
based on the extraction of hydrocarbons and exports of LNG and oil, is the cornerstone of all
reforms in Qatar" (p. 38).
The monograph contains a detailed analysis of other, less significant aspects of Qatari-U.S. strate-
gic partnership, including trade and economic cooperation, and stresses that Qatar's dependence
on U.S. protection does not prevent the Emirate from promoting flexible and efficient contacts
with the Muslim world, including with its radical Islamic wing - suffice it to mention the Taliban
mission in Qatar and also Doha hosting unofficial U.S. contacts with the Taliban.
I share the opinions voiced by the author in the concluding sections of his book, and his hope
that "the provided analysis will help the readers to find their bearings in the genesis, the current
state and prospects of Qatari economic development, which is known far outside the country,
and will provide a starting point for further research in this area" (p. 165). I would like to add
that Qatar, as the other Gulf monarchies, deserves comprehensive coverage in research literature
and nonfiction.
The Land Untouched by the Arab Spring: Thoughts Aloud After
Reading Eldar Kasaev's Book About Qatar