Abstract
Qatar has sought to enhance its global significance by concentrating on specialized fields such as humanitarian aid, mediation, peacekeeping, and maritime logistics. This strategy could yield benefits in terms of public visibility with minimal political cost, and Qatar views the Horn of Africa (HOA) as an opportunity to demonstrate its abilities as an international player. This paper examines the geopolitical implications of Qatar’s policy towards the Horn of Africa, highlighting its strategic goals, the nature of its interactions, and the wider effects on regional stability and Gulf-African relations. It also provides an overview of the various strategies and soft power, Qatar has employed to expand its influence in the region, such as its economic investments, diplomatic engagements, which seeks to promote Qatar’s economic and political interests at the expense of its traditional allies and partners in the region. It also examines the responses of Gulf and Horn countries to Qatar’s expanding presence, evaluating the implications for security, development, and regional integration.
References
Altea Pericoli, & Donelli, F. (2023). Qatar’s foreign aid and political strategies in the Horn of Africa: The case of Somalia. Global Policy, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13294
Boyce, S. G. (2013). QATAR’S FOREIGN POLICY. Asian Affairs, 44(3), 365–377. https://doi.org/10.1080/03068374.2013.826003
Cannon, B. J. (2019, February 27). Foreign State Influence and Somalia’s 2017 Presidential Election: an Analysis. Papers.ssrn.com. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3355243
Dahir, A. (2022). Strategic Geography in jeopardy: Qatar–Gulf Crisis and the Horn of Africa. In R. Mason & S. Mabon (Eds.), The Gulf States and the Horn of Africa Interests, Influences and Instability (pp. 171–198). Manchester University Press.
Ethiopian Investment Commission. (2017). The Emir of the State of Qatar Visits Ethiopia. Www.investethiopia.gov.et. https://www.investethiopia.gov.et/why-ethiopia/economic-indicators?id=434
Hroub, Khaled. "Qatar: geostrategic media and foreign policy." NOREF, Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre, Policy Brief February (2013).
Huliaras, A., & Kalantzakos, S. (2017). The Gulf States and the Horn of Africa: A New Hinterland? Middle East Policy, 24(4), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/mepo.12308
Lawson, Fred H. "GCC Policies Toward the Red Sea, the Horn of Africa and Yemen: Ally-Adversary Dilemmas." Foreign Policy Trends in the GCC States (2017): 6.
Mahmood, O. S. (2020, January 28). The Middle East’s Complicated Engagement in the Horn of Africa. United States Institute of Peace. https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/01/middle-easts-complicated-engagement-horn-africa
Maziad, M. (2022). The Turkey–Qatar alliance: through the Gulf and into the Horn of Africa. In R. Mason & S. Mabon (Eds.), The Gulf States and the Horn of Africa Interests, Influences and Instability (pp. 127–150). Manchester University Press.
Mesfin, Barouk. "Qatar’s diplomatic incursions into the Horn of Africa." Institute for Security Studies, East Africa Report 8 (2016).
Minich, R. (2015). Conflict Mediation: The Qatari Experience. Historia I Polityka, 21(14), 121–133. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=623783
Tok, M. E., Alkhater, L. R. M., & Pal, L. A. (2016). Policy-Making in a Transformative State: The Case of Qatar. Policy-Making in a Transformative State, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-46639-6_1
Ulrichsen, Kristian Coates. "Small states with a big role: Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in the wake of the Arab Spring." (2012).
Verhoeven, H. (2018). The Gulf and the Horn: Changing Geographies of Security Interdependence and Competing Visions of Regional Order. Civil Wars, 20(3), 333–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698249.2018.1483125
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2024 South India Journal of Social Sciences