Word: emirates
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...visitor is led through splendid rooms of marble and teak, thick carpets and crystal chandeliers. This is the Diwan--seat of power in the oil sheikdom of Qatar--and the guest arrives at the inner sanctum to find hushed courtiers awaiting the moment His Highness, the Emir, will favor the chamber with his presence...
...other five Arab oil rulers, average age 69, are concerned that Qatar's policies may fan a desire for change within their own realms. Some of the friction comes from the new Emir's refusal to follow the lead of Saudi Arabia--by custom, elder brother to the small oil sheikdoms. And, sniffs a neighboring prince, "overthrowing his father in this way...Let's just say it was not well received...
...even a modest reformer prevail in a deeply conservative region? Qatar has a defense agreement with Washington, but the U.S. may not protect an Emir who is cozy with Iran and Iraq. Qatari traditionalists and some Western analysts believe it is naive to push democratic values in a society where many customs have remained unchanged since the Middle Ages. Over lunch, Hamad did something that still seems unthinkable to many. He introduced one of his three wives, Jassem's mother, who was modestly dressed in an ankle-length suit rather than in the customary robe. As she spoke of improving...
...Emir is counting on the popularity of his policies to pull him through. But he's not pushing a personality cult. One morning last summer, he was riding to work when he noticed billboards across Doha praising the first anniversary of his accession. When Hamad got to the Diwan, he issued instructions: Drop plans to celebrate the coup anniversary. "As for myself," the Emir said, "I plan to go fishing...
...Washington's fault: an army officer misread an order to prepare to deploy as the final go-ahead, prompting the Pentagon to announce the troops were going before Perry could seek permission from Kuwait. U.S. diplomats scrambled to repair the damage by confessing their "screw-up" to Kuwait's Emir, and a deployment that Kuwait had in fact urged on Washington quickly went ahead...