Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

In recent years, the ruler of Qatar, Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, has embarked upon a limited course of political liberalization and aligned Qatar firmly with the United States. In 1992, Qatar and the United States concluded a Defense Cooperation Agreement that has been progressively expanded. In April 2003, the Bush Administration announced that the U.S. Combat Air Operations Center for the Middle East will be moved from Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia to Qatars Al-Udeid airbase, which served as a logistics hub for U.S. operations in Afghanistan under Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as a key center for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Camp As-Sayliyah, the largest pre-positioning facility of U.S. equipment in the world, served as the forward command center for CENTCOM personnel during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Qatar also has assisted the United States in the war on terrorism by stepping up its efforts to prevent Al Qaeda from engaging in money laundering. With the third largest proven gas reserves in the world, U.S. companies, such as ExxonMobil, have worked to increase trade and economic ties with Qatar. Qatar has the highest per capita income of any country in the Middle East. As part of Qatars experiment with limited political liberalization, the Qatari monarchy started Al Jazeera, the Arab worlds first all-news network. In a national referendum in April 2003, Qatari voters approved a new constitution that provides for a partially elected national assembly and grants women the right to vote and run for office. This report will be updated when significant changes occur. For further information, see CRS Report RL31889, The Al-Jazeera News Network Opportunity or Challenge for U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East, and CRS Report RL31533, The Persian Gulf Issues for U.S. Policy, 2003.