Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Leaves Lasting Legacy in Qatar

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former ruler of Qatar, has passed away at the age of 74. His death was announced by the state-run Qatar News Agency, but no cause was given.

During his 18-year reign as emir, Sheikh Hamad transformed Qatar into a global player in diplomacy, media, and investment. He voluntarily stepped down in June 2013, making way for his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Under Sheikh Hamad’s leadership, Qatar’s stunning ambitions turned it from a backwater into an international crossroads in less than a generation. The country owns the iconic Harrod’s 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 soccer event. Despite its independent-minded policymaking, Qatar’s rise under Sheikh Hamad rankled regional and Western allies, 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, was criticized and accused of slanting coverage to suit the views of Qatar’s rulers. Sheikh Hamad’s 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.

Sheikh Hamad’s legacy extends beyond Qatar’s borders. He attended Britain’s military academy, Sandhurst, and became commander of Qatar’s armed forces and defense 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, Sheikh Hamad quickly moved to open an inward-looking nation to outside influences, epitomized by Al Jazeera, which became a major force in global media. Its reporting not only angered other Arab leaders but also riled Washington, airing statements from the terror network al-Qaida, even as Qatar hosted one of the key Pentagon logistical hubs following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sheikh Hamad also pushed Qatar Airways to expand into a major international carrier, trying to rival neighboring carrier Emirates. The country’s international airport in Doha, Qatar’s capital, which cost at least $15 billion to construct, also bears his name.

Sheikh Hamad had wide-ranging visions for Qatar’s role as a diplomatic broker, mediating in 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 $400 million in projects and investments.

In one of the last initiatives before Sheikh Hamad’s abdication, Qatar formally opened an office for Afghanistan’s Taliban, which set the stage for talks between the United States and the Taliban that ultimately led to NATO and America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.