The latest round of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas faltered last week, but when both sides return to the table, it will once again be a table in Qatar.
Doha, the Qatari capital, has usurped the mediator role historically played by Washington in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Gulf state's success in brokering an initial Gaza ceasefire in January "was the product of more than a decade of Qatari efforts to position itself as the Middle East's indispensable go-between", said Bloomberg.
Qatar is "a small nation in a volatile region, surrounded by swaggering players such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran", said The Guardian. "To shore up its fragile position", it has quietly "made itself into the diplomatic capital of the world".
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In diplomacy "relationships are key", said DW, "and Qatar is known for its wide and varied network of contacts". It has an ideological flexibility that has seen it simultaneously maintain close relationships with Israel, Hamas, the US and Iran.
In the past, it has funded or otherwise lent support to regional groups with conflicting agendas: from the Taliban in Afghanistan to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to Libyan militias and anti-government revolutionaries in Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.
While it has worked with closely with the US, "Qatar has also been more pragmatic about Islamist organisations in the region, seeing these as part of popular political movements that cannot be erased or avoided". Qatar's success as a mediator ultimately "stems from its neutral positioning, lack of historical baggage with many parties, and willingness to engage with groups like Hamas, the Taliban and Western powers simultaneously", Abdulaziz Al-Anjari, from the Kuwait-based Reconnaissance Research, told Bloomberg.
The country's enormous resources give it crucial financial clout and independence, while its dynastic power structure enables its small team of negotiators – which includes senior members of the ruling Al Thani family – to make quick, unilateral decisions.
Those negotiators have built up a wealth of experience over the past decade and can point to tangible successes, including the release of Americans held in Iran, Afghanistan and Venezuela. While its primary focus remains on the Middle East, it recently oversaw talks aimed at ending the decades-long fighting between Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. It has also negotiated diplomatic breakthroughs between Sudan and Chad, and Eritrea and Djibouti.
What next?
Having "enhanced its reputation as an international mediator", Qatar has set about "considering which other conflicts they could help resolve", said Bloomberg. In a "soft-power play" backed by a $510 billion sovereign wealth fund, the country is currently "involved as a mediator in more than 10 other ongoing cases of various natures".
"The rewards Qatar seeks from this work are not immediate, tangible ones," said The Guardian. "They're not looking for investment opportunities, access to raw materials or a say in what happens after a deal is agreed" but rather "to be recognised as a player".
This is perhaps what makes them so attractive and effective as mediators. "The fruits of the brokering – building status and trust, which in turn deepen international influence and relationships – are the prize."
