I for one am glad that the USA state dept sees a "valued partner" in Qatar. Other folks may disagree with this view, Qatar has recently been in the spotlight for the unfortunate events surrounding the Fifa world cup workers.

I take interest in a place like Qatar, the sights and sounds of Qatar and the design of a city like Doha is something that I feel would attract many. The fact that the USA supplies Qatar with billions of $ in military equipment is also something interesting to keep in mind.

From the CIA's website and on Qatar,

Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the Amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, overthrew the father in a bloodless coup in 1995. In short order, HAMAD oversaw the creation of the pan-Arab satellite news network Al-Jazeera and Qatar's pursuit of a leadership role in mediating regional conflicts. In the 2000s, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As of 2007, oil and natural gas revenues had enabled Qatar to attain the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar has not experienced domestic unrest or violence like that seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2010-11, due in part to its immense wealth.

more,

https://www.cia.gov/library/publicat...k/geos/qa.html




Military of Qatar

Military branches:

Qatari Emiri Land Force (QELF), Qatari Emiri Navy (QEN), Qatari Emiri Air Force (QEAF) (2013)
Military service age and obligation:

conscription for males aged 18-35 (2014)
Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 389,487
females age 16-49: 165,572 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 321,974
females age 16-49: 140,176 (2010 est.)





Col. David G. Cotter, U.S. Army Central Area Support Group Qatar commander, and Maj. Gen Thamer Al Mehshadi, Qatar army military police commander, finalize talks at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, March 26. The two military officers discussed ways to enhance bilateral relationships between the two nations' armed forces.




Qatar Air Force participates with France's Air Force in joint missions to Libya with Mirage 2000 jet fighters from Souda Air Base.



Qatar Military Dog Show Enhances Bilateral Relations


more,

https://www.cia.gov/library/publicat...k/geos/qa.html

http://www.dvidshub.net/image/165010...s#.U_TCiPldVBA

http://newshopper.sulekha.com/crete-...to_1764973.htm

The US gov maintains positive relations with Qatar, and we supply Qatar with billions of $ of military equipment. As an American citizen I can legally travel to a country like Italy or Qatar, and I feel would be be just as safe in Qatar if not safer, then I would be in Italy. Qatar is said to be a very safe place, unfortunately this cant be said for a # of places around the world. Also, Last I checked, there are about 4,000-8,000 Americans living/working in Qatar.

http://www.overseasdigest.com/amcit_nu2.htm

There are Americans studying in Qatari universities, and there are Qatari's studying in American universities.

more References on Qatar,



http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5437.htm


http://www.qatartourism.gov.qa/[/QUOTE]

My Thoughts and prayers are with the WC workers who died in Qatar and Brazil, just as thoughts and prayers are with workers all around the world, including the USA, who have died do to bad working conditions. There ought to be a proper investigation into those world cup deaths.

All of that said, Qatar is a key ally of the USA, Qatar does much business with the USA and we have Americans living and working in Qatar. So, what do others feel about Qatar?

I think it's pretty dumb that they hold their guns upside down.

What's not to like?

It probably has something to do with them being held together by duct tape.

Qatar is the richest country in the world, per capita, with GDP per capita around $100k/year.

That is unless you count that 94% off their workers are migrants, earn an average of $300/month, must surrender their passports, often end up in debt to their employers and are virtually slaves.

The thousands of workers dying working in unsafe conditions preparing for the world cup is a small slice of the problem.

I was at a concert the other day and heard the most amazing qatar solo!

I have no thoughts on Qatar at this time.

Well, it has defacto slave labor. And they're gonna try to play soccer in 118F weather with like 90% humidity so from a lols perspective I'm very excited.

If the US was really as evil as a lot of idiots believe, we could just conquer their asses and take their oil.

I always think of this when someone mentions Qatar:

The American South aspires to be Qatar.

Reasons to go to Qatar: they bribed FIFA into giving them the world cup, it means job opportunities!
Reasons to stay in Qatar: you were a slave worker and died of dehydration. sorry.

As for the "slaves" in Qatar.

A good # of these folks come from Nepal, where it is said that folks make around 200$ a month. HBO real sports did a report on the folks who do travel to Qatar from certain countries as a means of trying to make more money. These poor immigrant workers from places like Nepal believe that they can find a better life in Qatar. Unfortunately, it seems that both Gov and non Gov officials in Qatar are more interested in making money when compared to workers rights.

If folks here have the chance to take a look at the constitution of Qatar, then you will note that Qatars constitution talks about equality for all citizens

The Constitution provides that Qatar is an independent sovereign Arab state. Its religion is Islam, its political system democratic (Shari’a law is the main source of its legislation) and the official language Arabic. The people are the source of power and government is based on the separation of powers. The Constitution provides for the establishment of an Advisory Council, two-thirds of whom are elected and the remainder appointed by the Emir.
The Constitution upholds personal liberty; safeguards equal rights, duties and opportunities for all citizens; and protects private ownership. It protects the freedoms of expression, the press and religion, as well as the right to education. ,


http://portal.www.gov.qa/wps/portal/...bUREAHkcSlw!!/

There is the fact that the Emir must be a Muslim and must be from the Al Thani Family, but even with that, On paper, Qatar is not so bad compared to truly terrible places such as North Korea, NK is a state which does have concentration camps, and a state where one cant practice religion w/o the possibility of being executed/imprisoned.

Qatar, unlike Saudi Arabia, does have Catholic Churches in its country. And Qatar holds inter religious dialogues,

More than a dozen Jewish rabbis, including two from Israel, were in attendance this week as this conservative Muslim sheikdom opened one of the Gulf's first scholarly centers dedicated to interfaith dialogue

...

The talks were not entirely smooth, and politics and disputes over the Palestinian issue did inevitably intrude, said Rabbi David James Lazar, leader of a synagogue in Tel Aviv.Yet, the benefits for him were huge, he said — especially the ability to make personal connections with Arabs and Muslims "who otherwise I would have no contact with.""For some it's their first chance ever to hear, not only an Israeli but to hear a Jewish rabbi speak ... And so one of my responses is trying to tell them the story of the Jewish people, which often they have not heard. The Holocaust," he said."I hear their story as well," he said. "It's an exchange of stories."Another attendee, Rabbi Herschel Gluck, chairman of the Muslim Jewish Forum in Britain, commended Qatar for "being brave" by holding the conference."We know that hosting rabbis and an interreligious forum can be controversial in the region," said Gluck, whose group is based in a part of London where Jewish and Muslim communities sit side by side.

Some Qataris did criticize the gathering.

"This openness to other faiths creates confusion among our people and jeopardizes our identity," said one preacher at the local Fanar Islamic center, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

But other Qataris consider this and other changes made by Sheik Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al Thani as progressive and credit him for social and economic reforms since 1995.Two months ago, the country also allowed the opening of its first-ever Catholic church. It has had low-level ties with Israel through a trade office for 12 years although it does not recognize Israel, and recently also invited Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to speak at a conference on democracy.

more,



http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...544150,00.html

11th Doha Conference for Interfaith Dialogue 2014 highlights opening ceremony



at the 49:40 mark one can note when the Jewish representative speaks, he talks about how as part of his teaching career, he teaches about Jews who lived in Muslim countries during the middle ages, the guy has interesting viewpoints, I recommend folks watch bits of the video if they have the time.

While I greatly support Qatar and feel that Qatar is a key ally of the USA, the workers rights of foreigners from places like Nepal need to be improved, there is simply no doubt about this.

Do you post in SMP?

If folks followed the case of Peter Curtis, an American journalist who was detained by terrorists, then you will note that Qatar and the USA worked to free Curtis. Also, The Qatar gov, and the US gov, denies paying any type of ransom for Curtis

Kidnapped US journalist freed in Syria
Last updated: 2 hours ago
Peter Theo Curtis is handed over to UN peacekeepers in Golan Heights nearly two years after he was abducted.


An American journalist kidnapped nearly two years ago has been freed in Syria following Qatari mediation and handed over to UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights.

Peter Theo Curtis was handed over to UN peacekeepers in the village of al-Rafid, Quneitra, on Sunday. He has since been turned over to representatives from the US government after undergoing medical check-up, the UN said.

Curtis' family thanked both the governments of the US and Qatar, as well as others who helped negotiate his release.

According to a statement from his family, Curtis was captured in October 2012 and was reportedly held by the al-Nusra Front or by splinter groups allied with the al-Qaeda-affiliated group.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was relieved Curtis was returing home, before laying blame on al-Nusra Front for the kidnapping.

"We are all relieved and grateful knowing that Theo Curtis is coming home after so much time held in the clutches of [al-Nusrah Front], he said.

Kerry also said the US was using "every diplomatic, intelligence, and military tool" available to release other Americans held hostage.

Footage of the American was released on June 30, showing a disheveled Curtis with long hair and beard, but appearing to be in good health.

Speaking in a video obtained by Al Jazeera, Curtis read from a prepared script stating his name and profession, saying he was a journalist from Boston, Massachusetts.

Commenting on his treatment, Curtis said he "had everything" he needed and "everything has been perfect, food, clothing, even friends now".

more,

http://m.aljazeera.com/story/2014824132444444921

This is part of why I feel Qatar is a key ally of the USA. Qatar was able to help get this guy back home freely.

If your talking about the Science, Math, and Philosophy thread, then no.

Anyway, you have made two posts in this thread. One is above and the other is this one,

You also said,

irt this,

According to the US State Department, expatriate workers from nations throughout Asia and parts of Africa are routinely subjected to forced labor and, in some instances, prostitution.[4] Most of these people voluntarily migrate to Qatar as low-skilled laborers or domestic servants, but are subsequently subjected to conditions indicative of involuntary servitude. Some of the more common labor rights violations include beatings, withholding of payment, charging workers for benefits which are nominally the responsibility of the amir, severe restrictions on freedom of movement (such as the confiscation passports, travel documents, or exit permits), arbitrary detention, threats of legal action, and sexual assault.[4] Many migrant workers arriving for work in Qatar have paid exorbitant fees to recruiters in their home countries – a practice that makes workers highly vulnerable to forced labor once in Qatar.[4]

The US state dept is critical of Qatar for its poor treatment of foreign workers, but if you were to provide the full view of the state dept on Qatar, then folks would note the fact that Qatar is viewed as a valued partner of the USA. And as I said before, the workers rights of foreigners in Qatar must improve.

kerowo,

If Qatar gov officials and non gov officials work to improve the rights of foreign workers from places like Nepal, would you show more support for Qatar?

I ask this because I wonder if you take issues with Qatar, other then workers rights.

The idea that slave labor in Qatar is ok because they had it so ****ty at home reminded me of SMP.

I don't have much of an opinion on Qatar and hope they can avoid the fundy problems that are going on in the rest of the area. The idea of playing any outdoor sporting events there is pretty laughable though.

According to The Economist's democracy index for 167 countries (2012), North Korea is 167th and Qatar is 138th.
http://pages.eiu.com/rs/eiu2/images/...Index-2012.pdf

So, you can have "it's not as bad as North Korea". You can even shoot for the stars and say "it's not as bad as Azerbaijan"!

I don't think it's reasonable to say Qatar treats it's citizens well, but not it's migrant workers and then conclude that Qatar has some small problems, but it is otherwise a reasonably free and fair country.

Ninety, NINETY, NINETY percent of the people in Qatar are not Qatari citizens. Most of those people are migrant workers.

IMO, the problems in the middle eastern countries stem from incredibly gross disparities of wealth. In countries with large populations, like Iraq, Iran and Syria that led to masses of citizens not sharing in the wealth while people like Saddam Hussein or The Shah and their families had scores of palaces. As abhorrent as that was, oppression of large swaths of the society was the only way for them to remain obscenely rich and powerful.

Qatar, otoh, is so rich per capita that all Qataris can be relatively rich and afford to import all the working people. No international standard expects the migrant workers to be given the vote. No international group would condemn deportation of migrant workers who foment revolution. All they have to do is not work thousands of people to death, pay them something reasonable, and allow them to leave when they want.

It's extra disgusting because it's just so incredibly greedy. As it's also part of the wider problem in the region that is feeding the revolutionary ferver, it is very short sighted. But, most of the most powerful people are old enough that exploiting people as much as possible will probably maximize their wealth and power.

It's also not surprising that they, like the other rich gulf states, are allies with the west and we help each other. We allied with all the dictatorships/oligarchies/plutocracies all over the world where there were natural resources that we would like to see exported.

I wish diablo would bring back the assassin class, because I miss using Qatars

LOL... this is brilliant in its irony...

Picture of guy from Barbershop.jpg

maaannnnnnnn........**** Qatar

Try and keep the thread on Qatar.

The vote? Are you talking about migrant workers becoming citizens? I guess this is for another discussion.

And again, the gov of Qatar promised to change the sponsorship laws to address the terrible fact that these foreign workers from places like Nepal cant leave Qatar until there employer allows them to.

We also need to do another thing here, the work place in Qatar needs to improve, but the workplace in Nepal needs a face lift. In Nepal, folks only make around 200$ a month, and then these poor Nepal folks will go to Qatar, where they are "gambling" with their lives just to make more money.

Qatar is indeed a monarchy(with some democratic elements), but that doesn't mean it has to be a terrible place to live. For Qataris and Americans, Qatar is a beautiful place. And as HBO real sports reported, the gov officials and non gov officials of Qatar who deal with foreigners from Nepal, have the power and money to improve the rights of foreign workers from places like Nepal.

I really believe that conditions will improve for world cup workers in Qatar. Also, the Gov of Qatar said that Israels will be allowed in Qatar in 2022 for the WC.. As we know, Qatar does not allow(along with other states) Israels to travel to Qatar, so hopefully this can change and we can have Qatar and Israel improve their relationship.

.

As a grammar Nazi, I refuse to recognize Qatar as a legitimate country.

I don't care how rich you are, Q cannot be followed by an A.

If little Jimmy started making up his own grammar rules in English class he'd be punished. But if Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani does the same thing, hell let's give him the World Cup.

As usual, it's one rule for the rich, another for the rest of us.