Word: al-thani
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Dates: during 1996-1996
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...when Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, 44, enters through a side door, he ignores formalities, proffers a friendly handshake, and talks frankly with a journalist for two hours--acts normally taboo in cloistered Arab monarchies. He breezily inquires, "Can you come to lunch Saturday...
...though fraught with palace intrigue--as in tiny, thumb-shaped Qatar (pop. 500,000). Eighteen months ago, Hamad, trained at Britain's Sandhurst Military Academy, was merely an heir apparent. Then he staged a bloodless coup that ended the 23-year reign of his father Sheik Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani, 64, who had developed an unseemly fondness for liquor and opulent palaces. Since then, Qataris have witnessed one of the bitterest Arabian family spats in memory, involving cash and arms, ritual and reform. Only last week did a cease-fire seem to take hold. Khalifa appeared to renounce...