Qatar’s reputation as an uncontroversial, peaceable, quasi-neutral state was undermined as its leadership systematically chose sides during the Arab Spring. Without the capacity, resources, or experience to effectively involve itself in the intractable conflicts that emerged from the Spring, Qatar gained a reputation as a dangerous dilatant, stoking anger among key allies in the Arab and western worlds.
David Roberts looks at the challenges that face Qatar’s Emir as he navigates a hazardous path, stuck between path dependency promoting the maintenance of old associations and the reality that Qatar struggles to control and use these relations effectively.
Event details
Speaker: Dr David Roberts, King's College London
Chair: Dr Courtney Freer, LSE Kuwait Programme
Date: Tuesday 22 March 2016
Time: 16.30-18:00
Event Hashtag: #LSEQatar
Location: Room 9.04, Tower 2, Clement's Inn, LSE
Attendance: This event is free and open to all, however registration is necessary. Registration for this event is now closed.
Admission is on a first-come-first-served basis even after registration. Not everyone who registers attends our events, so to ensure a full house, we allow more registrations than there are places. Our events are very well attended, so please make sure you arrive early. We cannot guarantee entry.
Speaker
David Roberts joined the Defence Studies Department at King's College London in October 2013. Prior to moving to King’s, David was the Director of the Qatar office of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI Qatar).
His primary research interest focuses on Qatar’s foreign policy. His PhD and book seeks to understand the core rationale for Qatar’s recent flurries in the world of international relations.