Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who raised Qatar’s global profile, dies at 74

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who as ruler of Qatar transformed the tiny Gulf nation into a global player in diplomacy, media and investment, and then shattered tradition by voluntarily turning over power to his son, has died, state media reported. He was 74.The state-run Qatar News Agency reported his death. It offered no cause.Sheikh Hamad, who stepped down in June 2013 after 18 years as emir, was the architect of energy-rich Qatar’s stunning ambitions that turned it from a backwater into an international crossroads in less than a generation.Qatar owns the Harrods department store in London and founded the powerful Al Jazeera satellite news network.Qatar’s political reach today stretches from North Africa to Afghanistan and it hosted the 2022 Fifa World Cup, the world’s most-watched football event. Sheikh Hamad, though long out of power, received thunderous applause from Qataris attending its opening match.Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife hold a copy of the Fifa World Cup trophy in Zurich in December 2010. Photo: ReutersBut Qatar’s rise under Sheikh Hamad also rankled regional and Western allies with its independent-minded policymaking, including its close ties to Shiite powerhouse Iran, the Palestinian militant Hamas group and Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.Al Jazeera’s blunt reporting, though a much-praised departure from the traditionally deferential habits of Arab media, also was criticised and accused of slanting coverage to suit the views of Qatar’s rulers.“The future lies ahead of you, the children of this homeland, as you usher into a new era where young leadership hoists the banner,” Sheikh Hamad said as he announced his abdication and the carefully crafted transition to his son, the British-educated crown prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then 33.The peaceful, voluntary transfer of power was rare in a region where such change usually results from death or overthrow. Sheikh Hamad himself seized control after deposing his father, Sheikh Khalifa, in a bloodless palace coup in 1995.Al Jazeera’s newsroom in Doha, Qatar. Photo: APHis abdication was seen as Qatar’s attempt to stay ahead of Arab spring-inspired calls for reforms and leadership more attuned to the region’s large and powerful young population. Qatar, a peninsula half the size of New Jersey, is believed to have around 300,000 citizens.At the time, Sheikh Hamad was also thought to have been in poor health for years. In December 2015, Qatari officials said he was flown to Switzerland for surgery after breaking a leg while on holiday.Sheikh Hamad attended Britain’s military academy, Sandhurst, and became commander of Qatar’s armed forces and defence minister. He was named crown prince in the late 1970s and gradually broadened his duties to include planning for Qatar’s vast oil and gas reserves.After seizing power from his father, who then lived in exile for nearly a decade, Sheikh Hamad quickly moved to open an inward-looking nation to outside influences, epitomised by Al Jazeera, which became a major force in global media.Passengers at Hamad International Airport in Doha. Photo: dpaIts reporting not only angered other Arab leaders, sometimes to the point of diplomatic rupture, it also riled Washington. Al Jazeera aired statements from the terror network al-Qaeda, even as Qatar hosted one of the major Pentagon logistical hubs following the September 11, 2001, attacks and the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.Further ReadingSheikh Hamad, meanwhile, aggressively sought international prestige through sports, an effort crowned by Qatar’s successful bid to host the World Cup, though marred by accusations that it used its huge wealth to woo poor countries’ support.Qatar’s brand is also prominent across the sporting world from sponsorship deals with the Spanish football giant Barcelona to a majority stake in the football club Paris Saint-Germain.Sheikh Hamad also pushed Qatar Airways to expand into a major international carrier, trying to rival neighbouring carrier Emirates. The country’s international airport in Doha, Qatar’s capital, which cost at least US$15 billion to construct, also bears his name.Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (centre right) visits the Gaza Strip in October 2012. Photo: APSheikh Hamad had wide-ranging visions for Qatar’s role as a diplomatic broker. Over the years, its mediation was brought to bear on the conflict in Sudan’s western Darfur region, Lebanese factional feuding, and the rift between the Palestinians’ Hamas and Fatah factions.In October 2012, Sheikh Hamad became the first head of state to visit the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized control five years previously, promising a total of US$400 million in projects and investments. During the visit, Gaza radio stations played a song entitled “Thank you, Qatar”.Qatar also reached out to Hamas’ main foe, Israel. Sheikh Hamad met Israel’s then-foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, at the 2007 UN General Assembly. Qatar allowed an Israeli trade office to operate in Doha until it was ordered closed in response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza in late 2008.While neighbouring Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates diplomatically recognised Israel in 2020, Qatar maintained its distance. Israelis at the World Cup also faced a multitude of Palestinian flags and anger over the country’s occupation of lands Palestinians claim for their future state.