famous negotiator, not afraid of difficulties, willing to "spend money", only afraid of not getting the job done

What makes Qatar - a small but resource-rich Gulf state - so active in diplomatic negotiations?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha, Qatar, on August 20 to participate in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (Source: Reuters)

Establishing private security in an ever-volatile region

While ceasefire talks in Gaza have stalled, Qatar continues to mediate between parties in other global conflicts. Officials from Russia and Ukraine have not met since the conflict between the two countries erupted in early 2022. However, late last week, news emerged of possible talks brokered by the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar.

The Washington Post , which first reported the news, said the talks “could produce a partial ceasefire and, in turn, a truce for both countries.”

However, the talks were called off after Ukrainian troops launched an offensive in Russia’s Kursk province. But news of potential talks between Moscow and Kiev could also be seen as another victory for the tiny but gas-rich Gulf state of Qatar.

This is not the first time Doha has played a role in mediating conflicts outside the Middle East. Qatar has helped broker deals to release Americans held in Iran, Afghanistan and Venezuela.

In addition, Doha has contributed to diplomatic breakthroughs between Sudan and Chad, Eritrea and Djibouti, as well as the 2011 Darfur peace agreement.

In 2020, Qatar facilitated negotiations with the Taliban for a US withdrawal from Afghanistan. In November 2023, negotiators from the Middle Eastern country helped achieve a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.

Responding to DW , Mr. Burcu Ozcelik, senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, commented that Doha's emergence as an important mediator has raised Qatar's diplomatic position, from an isolated country in the region to an important factor on the international stage.

Mr. Ozcelik also assessed that this new role helps increase Doha's influence and shape Qatar as an indispensable "partner for peace" in the global community.

According to many analysts, Qatar wants to establish its own security in an unstable region by demonstrating diplomatic superiority.

Relationships are the key

For Qatar, relationships are key. The country is known for its extensive and diverse communications network. Since 2001, Qatar has hosted US troops at al-Udeid Air Base - currently the largest US base in the Middle East, with about 10,000 troops.

Qatar certainly benefits from this because Western governments , and to some extent Eastern ones, see Doha as a useful friend, according to Cinzia Bianco, an expert on Gulf states at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Typically, US President Joe Biden in 2022 called Qatar a “major non-NATO ally”, in part because of Qatar's role in negotiating the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Qatar also has a capacity for empathy. While working closely with the United States, Doha has been tactful with the region’s Islamist groups, seeing them as part of a broader political movement that cannot be dismissed or avoided. Taliban members have said they feel more comfortable in Qatar, a country they believe understands all sides.

Qatari negotiators do not necessarily have special skills, although they are trained for the job, Bianco said, and she does not think they are better than diplomats from other governments, including those in Europe.

The strength of Qatari negotiators, according to Bianco, is their attempt to be as neutral as possible. For Doha, playing the role of mediator is extremely important, and that means Doha puts this role above everything else, including domestic and regional politics.

Additionally, according to Ms. Bianco, this is related to Qatar's wealth, because the country's resources allow them to host stakeholders and resolve multiple crises at the same time.

In an analysis published in February this year in the International Peace Initiatives Review, Sultan Barakat, a lecturer in public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, said that the Qatari Foreign Ministry's ability to make decisions without public questioning or scrutiny showed that it could act decisively.

But being the “negotiator of the world” is not easy. The current Hamas-Israeli negotiations that Doha is involved in are among the “highest risk” deals it has ever undertaken. At times, Israeli politicians have accused Qatar of funding Hamas. Meanwhile, US politicians have called for a “re-evaluation” of the relationship with Qatar if Doha does not put more pressure on Hamas.

Experts say the world needs Qatar to play a mediating role at this time. Responding to DW , Rabih El-Haddad, director of multilateral diplomacy at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research in Switzerland, said that humanity paid a heavy price in the past for not sitting down and talking to each other during the two world wars.

“Today, we need mediators to facilitate conflicting parties to talk to each other and resolve their differences through negotiations, diplomacy and in accordance with international law,” expert Rabih El-Haddad stressed.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/qatar-trung-giang-dam-phan-lung-danh-khong-ngai-kho-san-sang-doc-hau-bao-chi-so-khong-duoc-viec-283951.html