Will Qatar adopt a more moderate policy toward Syria?

TEHRAN,July 10(MNA)--Qatar recently witnessed a historic and unprecedented transfer of power from former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to his son Sheikh Tamim in what still remains a mystery for many observers, especially when one takes into consideration the historical fact that Arab rulers are traditionally reluctant to give up power, even when they reach a very advanced age. One group of political observers believes that it was an internal decision that was made without any external interference. According to this view, the tiny Persian Gulf emirate will stay on the same course in its policies toward regional developments, and Qatar’s position on the crisis in Syria will not be changed. However, the decision will certainly have an impact on other Arab states of the region, and the elderly monarchs may sooner or later follow suit in order to protect their families’ shaky rule. Hamad’s move rang alarm bells for the elderly leaders of the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, who have been facing growing popular discontent over their incompetence in running their governments. In Saudi Arabia, the 84-year-old King Abdullah is struggling to stay on the throne while members of his family vie with each other to take his place, and demonstrations against the authoritarian system continue to be held across the country. In the United Arab Emirates, the president, who is also the emir of Abu Dhabi, is not in good health, and his failure to attend most of the high-level meetings between Arab leaders over the past few months has increased concerns over how long he will hold the post. A second group of observers says that the transfer of power in Qatar was a completely Western prescription. According to their view, the regional developments over the past few months, especially the recent victories of the Syrian government in its offensive against the rebels who are supported by the West and Arab states like Qatar, changed the equations on the ground, and the Qatari emir seemed to be no longer capable of implementing the West’s scenario for changing the political landscape of the region. According to this view, Qatar will be compelled to revise its approach toward Syria because Western governments seem to have acknowledged that a military option in Syria is no longer viable and they are trying to adopt a more moderate policy toward the conflict. Mohammad Aliback is a political analyst and an expert on the Persian Gulf region based in Tehran. (By Mohammad Aliback)