Qatar Emir Abdicates in Favor of Son, Praises People's Loyalty
Qatar emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani abdicated in favor of his 33-year-old son, Sheikh Tamim, on Tuesday, in a first for the Arab world.
"I announce handing the rule over to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani," the 61-year-old emir said in a televised speech, adding the decision opened the way for a "young leadership.”
“I am sure you will support him as you have done to me,” he said.
“A new generation should now come to power for having innovative ideas,” he said.
Sheikh Hamad thanked all his advisers and the armed forces, and praised “the loyalty of the people.”
Sheikh Hamad, who used Qatar's immense gas wealth to drive its modernization and transform it into a major player in world diplomacy, came to power in a coup in which he overthrew his own father Sheikh Khalifa in June 1995.
The 61-year-old emir is the first ruler to voluntarily cede power in the Arab world, where autocratic rulers held power uncontested for decades until the Arab Spring revolutions that toppled regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
Tamim, born in 1980, is the second son of the emir and his second wife Sheikha Mozah and has been groomed for years to take the helm of the super-rich Western ally.
The British-educated Tamim is deputy commander of the armed forces and head of the National Olympic Committee. He also chairs the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee in charge of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Diplomats said that over the past three years the emir has increasingly transferred military and security responsibilities to Tamim, who like his father went to the British military academy Sandhurst.
almost 11 years
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani was forced out by the US and the KSA for several reasons all having to do with his massive failures of foreign policy implementation over these last 3 years ...
It is no secret that Qatar was the patron of Muslim Brotherhood movements all over the middle east. They have botched the entire portfolio by overplaying and mismanaging their hand.
Egypt remains a catastrophe for the Muslim Brotherhood, there Morsi having appointed a former terrorist to a governorship where his group waged a massacre on tourists killing dozens visiting the pyramids.
Mismanagement of the Syrian Brotherhood after early success in Aleppo, allowing the organization to deteriorate after striking victories in Homs and Aleppo, succumbing to al Nusra.
almost 11 years
Qatar has been agitating in several countries using the Brotherhood including the UAE, Jordan and even an attempted coup in Kuwait that was thwarted just recently.
Just recently an agent of Qatar using the cover of the Red Crescent was apprehended in Lebanon with funds to arm rebels and explicitly to cause more destabilization in Lebanon itself enlisting a well known Sheikh.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani was forced to hand over the throne as his power-mad foreign policy proved treacherous to all concerned allies included ... He was lucky to get this opportunity to keep breathing.
almost 11 years
PS ...
Two more of the Sheikhs' mistakes will probably soon be on the agenda. Those are the headquarters of Hamas and the so called Taliban Embassy.
The Taliban Embassy is already stripped of signage but the embarrassment of upstaging the US hand over is still an open wound.
Hamas was offered a great deal of money to relocate to Qatar but Hamas might now start looking for another place to relocate to.
almost 11 years
A king/amir/sultan isn't some who should be toppled. they're the ones who build countries.
almost 11 years
Hilarious how Qatar is one of the biggest state-sponsors of terrorism in the world and funds/arms FSA-Al Qaeda in Syria to create a so-called democracy, but the dictatorship and one-family rule is maintained at home.
Shou Qatar, don't your citizens get to vote on the successor? We all thought you were a democracy supporter? What happened?
almost 11 years
democracy at its best.raasni ya ghada3.
almost 11 years
This is the democracy the Hariri mafia wants to import into Lebanon. They will fail as they have failed with their last project: Ahmad el Assir.
almost 11 years
really? any proof of that? when did he say that or gave any sign he wanted an emirate? only in your demented mind....LOL! you are just another empty brain...
almost 11 years
Your #1 explains it all. With so much easy oil money and just 1.8 million population you don't need to be very intelligent. You can pay the 2 million foreign workers to do everything for you.
almost 11 years
...and you'll have enough money left to chop watermelons on the Bentley's leather seat, and to meddle in other countries.
almost 11 years
Ruling a country is like a butcher's shop, from father to son!
almost 11 years
The whole region is made up of butchers, father-to-son dynasties and ancient sectarian alliances. Some of them richer and some of them poorer but all bloody dictatorships nonetheless.
almost 11 years
There's one thing they did to achieve the achievement: let the Europeans and the Americans run the whole thing.
almost 11 years
With 2 million foreign workers vs 1.8 million locals, it's not "helping run", it's probably complete dependence on others. You won't see a local lifting a finger to scratch his axx, there's a paid worker to do it.
almost 11 years
I dont get it saturn reading your posts.
So you are blaming them for having resources?
Didnt we just find natural resources that can put us on the path to getting an economy like the qatari economy? And where are we? What are we doing?
almost 11 years
Reminds us of the fortunes of some of our multi-billionaire Lebanese leaders, who built all their fortunes in legal honest ways :)
almost 11 years
Trolls got trolled :)
almost 11 years
Qatar emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani is a visionary...best of luck the new Emir..god bless...Let the Farsi lovers and Arabs haters die in their hate…
almost 11 years
lebpatriot, Tfeh alayk ya hableh...
almost 11 years
Zadig, excellent posts..thank you...
almost 11 years
Mabrouk...I think this is a great example of 'democracy' to teach those in Syria how it should be done.
almost 11 years
Simple. Qatar's emir did too many mistakes. He is being replaced by the Saudis and the Americans.
Hopefully his son will do less harm than he did.
almost 11 years
Za dig beat you hands down flamethrower in this debate ..
almost 11 years
at least M14 does not change their allies as M8 do according to their needs and interests. very hypocrit they are!
one day they thank qatar with huge billboards, the next they spit on them....
one day they say that there is NO shame in asking the help of the USA the next they are a bunch of evil sionists! LOL!
almost 11 years
at least M14 does not change their allies as M8 do according to their needs and interests. very hypocrit they are!
one day they thank qatar with huge billboards, the next they spit on them....
one day they say that there is NO shame in asking the help of the USA the next they are a bunch of evil sionists! LOL!
almost 11 years
Qatar's is high because of obvious reasons. You also forget the basic reasoning behind GDP. It's an AVERAGE of monetary income. It may be ( for example ), that 10 people make $10 million a year, and 10000 make $10000, the GDP would be ~$100K, while another countries GDP may be slightly higher but more balanced. etc.
almost 11 years
Well if lebanon was a republic demanding a different regime somewhere else, and if it was the most hypocritical country in the world, but afforded me that quality of life, i would take that anyday
almost 11 years
This is the most objective person here.
Ft, stop embarrassing yourself
almost 11 years
who gave your friend bashar the power? his daddy LOL!
almost 11 years
FT.they killed a priest today but that don't count his a mushrek christian,alawi soldiers and civilians dead are all halal according to them.70% of the dead syrian soldiers are sunni's but according to them they are murtadoun.how can you reason with such freaks.
almost 11 years
zadig.
sorry pal go to world gvt purchasing power search and you will find that gvts with the biggest gold reserve are the ones. your qatar needs a magnafying glass to see it rest assured.
Congratulations Amir. Good luck to you Tamim. The middle east need modern leaders like you.