From Afghanistan to the World Cup, Tiny, Rich Qatar Steps Up

DOHA, Qatar — As chaos took over the US’ last-minute efforts to evacuate greater than 120,000 of its residents and companions from Afghanistan final month, a tiny, rich nation that many People would wrestle to search out on a map all of a sudden discovered itself uniquely positioned to assist out.

Qatar, a sandy, sun-baked peninsula within the Persian Gulf, obtained about 60,000 People and Afghans, greater than every other nation. And with its ties to each the US — it hosts the most important American army base within the Center East — and the Taliban, it’s properly positioned to play a powerful position as an middleman between the brand new Taliban-run Afghanistan and the West.

The gas-rich nation, which has lengthy used its large wealth to punch above its weight, is having a second on this planet highlight.

Even because it delivers tons of meals and medical help to Afghanistan and hosts the American secretaries of protection and state, who flew to Qatar this week, it has made attention-grabbing information on this planet of soccer, the place it just lately signed one of many sport’s biggest gamers, Lionel Messi, to the Paris St.-Germain group it owns. The nation can also be set to host the soccer World Cup subsequent yr.

“Qatar has all the time wished to be a world participant, whether or not that’s internet hosting big sports activities occasions or signing main gamers, or presenting itself as a regional linchpin for world politics and diplomacy,” mentioned Michael Stephens, a senior fellow on the International Coverage Analysis Institute and an skilled on Gulf politics. “They haven’t all the time received this steadiness proper, however in the mean time they appear to have taken the precise initiatives on the proper time.”

Qatar’s assist in the Afghan airlift gained plaudits from President Biden, and each Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Protection Lloyd J. Austin III arrived within the Qatari capital, Doha, on Monday, the place they dined with the nation’s 41-year-old monarch, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

“Many nations have stepped as much as assist the evacuation and relocation efforts in Afghanistan, however no nation has accomplished greater than Qatar,” Mr. Blinken mentioned at a information convention in Doha on Tuesday.

“The partnership between Qatar and the US has by no means been stronger,” he added.

Standing beside him, Qatar’s overseas minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, referred to as the US “our most vital ally.”

The sunny second, earlier than a financial institution of American and Qatari flags, marked a pointy turnaround in bilateral relations from the earlier administration, which had initially supported a blockade in opposition to Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. These nations, backed by President Trump, accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and interfering within the inner affairs of different Arab states, accusations that Qatar denied.

The blockade ended early this yr, earlier than Mr. Biden’s inauguration.

Now it’s Qatar’s good relations with outliers just like the Taliban and Iran — relations that contributed to the accusations of supporting terrorism — which have made it invaluable as a go-between, permitting Qatar to advertise what it calls “preventive diplomacy.”

“Generally, a small measurement permits you really to play precisely that position, as a result of you aren’t intimidating anybody,” Qatar’s assistant overseas minister, Lolwah Al-Khater, mentioned in an interview. “It’s a small nation that nobody is anxious about. We’re not going to wage a struggle in opposition to anybody.”

Qatar, which is smaller than Connecticut and has fewer than 300,000 residents, shares an enormous pure fuel discipline with Iran, whose proceeds have given its individuals a per-capita revenue of greater than $90,000 per yr, one of many world’s highest, in response to the C.I.A. World Factbook.

Qatar has used that cash to bankroll and promote its view of the area — one that features political Islamists — by way of Al Jazeera, the Arab satellite tv for pc community it owns, and to discipline the profitable bid to host the 2022 World Cup. Alongside the way in which, it has maintained ties with a spread of Islamist teams, together with the Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

These ties have proved helpful to the West, which has leaned on them to barter hostage releases in nations similar to Syria. And Qatar hosted peace talks with the Taliban, which opened an workplace in Doha in 2013, with tacit permission from the US.

The Trump administration’s settlement with the Taliban setting a timetable for the American withdrawal was signed in Doha final yr. And because the American embassy in Kabul was evacuated final month, the US has moved its Afghan diplomatic operations to Doha.

“There isn’t any doubt that they’ve performed their playing cards properly,” Mr. Stephens mentioned. “They really feel that this has positioned them as being a helpful ally to the West and in addition as an interlocutor on wider regional points, and that’s what they all the time wished.”

In latest days, Qatar has delivered 68 tons of meals and medical help to the Afghan capital, Kabul, Qatari officers mentioned. Qatari officers and technicians have additionally flown to Kabul to fulfill with the Taliban and work with their counterparts from Turkey on how you can reopen town’s worldwide airport.

And Qatar is utilizing its leverage to press the Taliban to make good on its vows of moderation, Ms. Al-Khater mentioned.

“We try to encourage the Taliban to have a extra inclusive authorities that represents everybody,” she mentioned. “Ladies illustration, we’re not certain about that half, if it’s going to achieve success, however not less than we’re pushing.”

The Taliban have made public assurances that they might grant amnesty to officers and troopers of the previous authorities, and would enable ladies to work and research, actions largely banned beneath its earlier authorities from 1996 to 2001, which brutally enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic legislation.

How properly they stay as much as these guarantees stays to be seen. The group has but to call a whole authorities and has violently suppressed protests by ladies in Kabul. In different elements of the nation, its fighters have been accused of going house-to-house to trace down outdated foeAt dwelling, Qatar continues to be within the throes of the evacuation.

Whereas about two thirds of the evacuees have moved on to different nations, about 20,000 are nonetheless in Qatar, which has been offering them with meals and medical care.

A few of them, together with Afghans who labored for media organizations similar to The New York Instances, have been housed in brand-new villas constructed for the World Cup, however most live in Al Udeid, the sprawling United States army base, the place crowding, warmth and restricted sanitation amenities have been main issues.

Ms. Al-Khater mentioned these considerations are being addressed, and that the Qatari authorities and related charities have constructed extra shelters, loos and discipline clinics and are offering greater than 55,000 meals per day.

Mr. Stephens, the Gulf politics skilled, mentioned it was unclear how lengthy Qatar would reap the advantages of its assist in Afghanistan however that, like all of the Gulf states, it was looking for methods to lift its standing in Washington.

“All of them need to be in Biden’s good e book,” he mentioned. “They know that this administration will not be completely eager on the Gulf states, so that they need to current themselves as a drive multiplier somewhat than an issue.”

Michael Crowley contributed reporting.