The Impact of Regional Challenges on Qatar’s Response in Foreign Policy from 1995 to 2024

Abstract

This study explores the impact of MENA regional challenges (the Arab Spring, regime changes, failed states and civil war, and regional crises and conflicts) on Qatar’s foreign policy (QFP) (actions, policies/discourse, and alliances) from 1995 to 2024. Utilizing multiple qualitative approaches (case study, content analysis, process tracing) as research tools of this study. An integrated theoretical framework composed of international relations (IR) theories of realism/neorealism, constructivism, omni-balancing, and small state theories used as a theoretical framework to this study. A tringle method was used to ensure the validity and reliability of the research tools of this study. Findings showed that Qatar's foreign policy (actions, policies, and alliances) has been shaped by regional challenges (the Arab Spring, regime change, failed state, regional crises, and conflicts). In specific, during the Arab Spring, Qatar adopted a proactive foreign policy, focusing on military engagement and support for revolutions. With regard to regime changes, Qatar's actions became more ideologically defined (patron of Islamic-oriented post revolutionary regimes), selective, and quickly engaged with new governments. Moreover, the emergence of failed states and civil wars, Qatar responded with a hyperactive strategy that includes early military engagement, later-stage mediation, long-term diplomacy, media, humanitarian aid, backchannel alliances, and selective neutrality. Finally, regional crises and conflicts showed two traits in QFP; When directly involved in a crisis, it tends to rely on Crises diplomacy, Multilateralism discourse, and intensifies hedging strategy regionally as well as globally. In crises where it is not directly implicated, mediation emerges as its principal foreign policy instrument. Political implications such as policy making, regional challenges, foreign policy response were discussed.