Desert flower- QATAR

I had started researching this country a long time ago. However, since the accuracy of figures and data is very important, I had a delay in writing. And finally, I came across an official, accurate and objective source. I express my deep gratitude to O. Al-Haza (Royal Family Advisor) for allowing me to use his information. At first, I thought of using the gentleman's information by writing the article. But while reading the information he provided, I saw how effective and perfect his sentences were, and since I realized that nothing better could be done, I decided to just take very brief notes.

Qatar is in the top five countries I admire. I've always wondered how they got from zero to this level. I call this country a desert paradise.

In the 1980s, Qatar was a barren desert with a population of around 100,000 people. Yesterday, they casually spent $96 Billion on Boeing Jets deal - the largest purchase in history. Their $450 Billion wealth fund owns more of London than the British Royal Family.

How Qatar's rulers (Al-Thani family) engineered the West's silent takeover? The journey starts with a "disappointing" discovery.

In 1971, Qatar and Shell found something beneath the Arabian Gulf they thought was worthless.

Not oil (which they wanted).

They found "Just natural gas."

But this disappointing find would change everything:
They'd stumbled upon the North Field—the largest natural gas reservoir ever discovered.
This field contains about 10% of global gas reserves.
Qatar couldn't do much with it yet.
The technology to export gas profitably didn't exist.
It sat untapped for decades.

Then in 1995, everything changed.
A new leader is now at the helm.
The new leader saw potential in that untapped gas field.
He made a $20 Billion bet on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) when experts called it foolish!
The gamble paid off spectacularly.

By 2006, Qatar became the world's largest LNG exporter.
Their GDP per capita soared from $2,755. in 1990 to over $80,000. in 2023.
Billions of dollars flooded into the tiny nation monthly.

What they did with that money was remarkable:
Qatar deployed cash strategically worldwide.
They created the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) in 2005—one of the most aggressive sovereign funds ever.

Qatar's investments in London is unprecedented:
• Bought Harrods department store for $2.2 Billion
• Acquired stake in Canary Wharf
• Built The Shard—Western Europe's tallest building
• Bought 20% of Heathrow Airport
• Acquired Chelsea Barracks

But they didn't stop there:
Qatar purchased Paris Saint-Germain football club and made it a global powerhouse.
They acquired a 10.5% stake in Volkswagen Group.
They built Qatar Airways into one of the world's top airlines.

Their most brilliant move?
Creating Al Jazeera news network in 1996.
With a $137 million grant, it revolutionized Arabic media and expanded globally.
This single investment gave Qatar unprecedented soft power across the Middle East.

Their natural gas gamble keeps paying off;
When the conflict in Ukraine started, Europeans desperate for non-Russian gas turned to Qatar.
In 2019, Qatar launched a $30 Billion North Field expansion to increase LNG exports 64% by 2026.

The takeaway?
Qatar's leadership shows how wealth transforms global influence.
Wealth, when wielded with vision, bends the arc of destiny itself.
With just 400,000 citizens, Qatar wields power on par with nations 100x its size.

Money, deployed strategically, creates influence that transcends limitations.
A brilliant display of strategic advantage!
A masterclass in leverage!