- I used to wonder at the word “Al-Jazeera” that appeared on many cabs in London around the middle of the nineties until Qatar’s Al-Jazeera television channel arrived with a bang drawing the attention of the whole world.
Many other success stories of Qatar followed in spheres of economy, finance, media, education and politics. The state was experiencing a “success syndrome” thanks to its sustained action and team spirit accompanied by equality of opportunities, credibility and transparency. The state knew the right mix for success.
Tiny Qatar has grown large and risen to distinction with hard work. The fruits of success will be reaped by all Arabs and will undoubtedly serve to compensate for the Arab failures besides granting opportunities to people in distant lands. Qatar’s choice as the host of the coveted World Cup in 2022 becomes all the more unique when we consider that a larger Arab country, on an earlier occasion, could not even get a single vote in a contest to host the cup. This success becomes yet more significant when we consider that Qatar’s population does not exceed the population of a less than medium-sized city in the United States, its land is not bigger than the smallest state in the United States or even a governorate in any Arab country.
Another remarkable aspect of the Qatari success is that it opened the door of hope for other Arab countries and served as a wake-up call to them. It has also made them realize that a lead position in international matters is still within their reach provided they adhere to the principles of right leadership, trust and transparency. The idea was made abundantly clear by Qatar’s ambassador to the United States in a talk show with the NPR radio when he said: “Qatar has won an advanced position in the international ranking for transparency and combating corruption.” Anyone who wants to listen to the interview with the ambassador needs only visit the website of the radio service.
Qatar deserves congratulation and thanks not because it won the opportunity to host the World Cup in 2022 but because it put all its efforts together in order to reach their goal with panache. It also showed that the right attempt, and not a wrong approach, is the gateway to success. While discussing Qatar’s accomplishment, the fact that the nation’s World Cup bidding committee was headed by a youth of 25 years deserves special mention.
Dr. Saad is a Saudi
writer based in Jeddah.
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