To understand Qatari foreign policy, one must begin with its guiding principle: the creation of strategic interdependence with opposing forces to ensure that no single power can exert decisive pressure on the Emirate. On one hand, Qatar hosts the Al-Udeid Air Base—the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East—housing thousands of American personnel and serving as the regional hub for CENTCOM operations. On the other, Qatar maintains intimate strategic ties with Iran, including joint cooperation over the North Dome/South Pars gas field, and preserves robust military and political alliances with Erdogan’s Turkey. This strategy allows Doha to present itself as a vital Western ally while simultaneously acting against Western interests when it serves its regional ambitions.

 

The 2017 Gulf crisis illustrated this dynamic perfectly. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain severed ties and imposed a blockade on Qatar, citing its financing of terrorism and regional subversion. Their demands included cutting ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Iran, closing Al Jazeera, and ending military cooperation with Turkey. Qatar rejected them all. Instead, it deepened its reliance on Tehran and Ankara; Iran opened its supply routes and airspace, while Turkey accelerated the expansion of its military base on Qatari soil. Since then, Qatari-Turkish cooperation has evolved to include joint training, a permanent Turkish military presence, and reported coordination in conflict zones such as Libya and Syria.

 

The Qatari patronage of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is rooted in this historical context. As early as the 1950s and 60s, Qatar welcomed senior MB activists fleeing Nasser’s Egypt. These individuals integrated into the local education and religious sectors, profoundly shaping the state’s ideological identity. Yusuf al-Qaradawi remains the most prominent example: a leading MB jurist who supported suicide bombings and disseminated antisemitic propaganda, yet held a central institutional status in Qatar, featuring a regular program on Al Jazeera and serving as a high-level religious authority.

 

This support transcended domestic borders. During the 2011 Arab Spring, Qatar invested vast sums in Islamist movements across the region. In Egypt, it provided political and media backing for the ousting of Mubarak and subsequently transferred billions of dollars to Mohamed Morsi’s government. Following the fall of the MB, Qatar once again served as a sanctuary for its operatives. In Libya, it funneled money and weapons to Islamist militias via Ali al-Sallabi. In Syria, it financed various rebel groups, some affiliated with the MB and others with Al-Qaeda, including Jabhat al-Nusra.

 

The relationship with Hamas is a direct extension of this policy. As an ideological offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas views Qatar as its primary patron. Khaled Mashal resided in Doha as early as the 2000s, and after leaving Damascus in 2012, the organization's leadership returned there. Ismail Haniyeh lived in Doha from 2019 until his assassination in 2024, and Moussa Abu Marzouk relocated there at the start of the "Swords of Iron" war. This hospitality occurs while Qatar transfers hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas under the guise of "humanitarian aid".

 

The events of October 7th exposed the full extent of this Qatari duality. Al Jazeera broadcasted an exclusive recording of Mohammed Deif calling for killing and destruction. That same day, the Qatari Foreign Ministry issued a statement blaming Israel exclusively, with no mention of Hamas. Subsequently, Qatar continued to position itself as a "responsible" mediator without demanding that Hamas leadership vacate its territory.

 

Simultaneously, Qatar works to fortify political Islam in Europe under humanitarian pretenses. Qatar Charity has funded at least 138 projects across Europe—mosques, community centers, and NGOs—many of which are identified with the Muslim Brotherhood. These include the AMAL center in France, organizations linked to the Islamic Community of Germany, and various religious institutions in Italy and Switzerland. The U.S., Israel, and Gulf states have flagged the charity as a problematic entity, previously linking it to the financing of Al-Qaeda and Hamas.

 

Al Jazeera serves as the primary instrument of Qatar’s soft power. While presented to the West as an independent news outlet, it consistently reflects Doha's interests. Over the years, the network has provided a generous platform for MB leaders, Hamas officials, and Islamist spokespersons, promoting a distinct anti-Western and anti-Israel narrative. During the Arab Spring, the channel enthusiastically covered revolutions where Islamists were central players but displayed hostility toward secular or pro-Western regimes. Following the 2013 ousting of Morsi in Egypt, Al Jazeera became an almost official mouthpiece for the MB, leading the Egyptian government to close its offices and prosecute its journalists.

 

Troubling patterns have also emerged in the West. In 2017, it was revealed that Al Jazeera produced an undercover investigation into Jewish communities and pro-Israel organizations in the U.S., using an undercover reporter to spread theories of "dual loyalty." Although the network eventually refrained from officially broadcasting the content due to its toxicity, its production exposed a clear modus operandi: promoting narratives that undermine the legitimacy of the West and Israel while casting Islamist movements as victims or moral alternatives.

 

Antisemitism in Qatar is not a fringe phenomenon but an institutionalized one. State textbooks include Holocaust denial, the demonization of Jews, and the rejection of Israel’s right to exist. Preachers calling for the destruction of Jews have been invited to the Grand Mosque in Doha and even to lecture security forces. The official state book fair regularly features Mein Kampf and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

 

Economically, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) manages assets worth hundreds of billions, much of which is invested in Western power centers. In the U.S., notable examples include the $623 million acquisition of the Park Lane Hotel in New York. Qatar has also invested in luxury commercial real estate in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, establishing a physical foothold among American economic and political elites. These assets provide a layer of soft influence that is difficult to criticize openly due to heavy local economic interests. In London, the Qatari footprint is even more pronounced, with ownership of Harrods, properties in Trafalgar Square, and significant stakes in Canary Wharf and the City of London. In Germany, Qatar holds substantial shares in giants like Deutsche Bank and Volkswagen.

 

Furthermore, severe corruption scandals have surfaced. "Qatargate" in the European Parliament revealed the transfer of millions of euros in cash to MEPs, including Eva Kaili, to silence criticism and promote visa waivers. In the U.S., "Project Endgame" exposed the hiring of former intelligence officers to spy on lawmakers opposed to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

 

A critical pillar of Qatari influence is the American academy. Since the early 2000s, Qatar has become the largest foreign donor to U.S. higher education, funneling billions into elite institutions such as Georgetown, Northwestern, Cornell, and Duke. These funds are often obscured through intermediaries or international corporations. Research from organizations like ISGAP has pointed to a direct correlation between Qatari funding and a 300% increase in antisemitic incidents on campuses between 2015 and 2020. This environment has fostered anti-Western narratives, the justification of Hamas violence, and the silencing of Jewish or Zionist voices.

 

Finally, Qatar utilizes the "energy lever." As one of the world's largest LNG suppliers, Qatar has become indispensable to Europe following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Long-term contracts lasting up to 27 years with nations like Germany, Italy, and the UK tie European energy security to Doha for decades to come. This provides Qatar with practical immunity from Western pressure; even when caught supporting political Islam or hosting terror elements, European nations remain hesitant to exert significant pressure for fear of jeopardizing their energy supply.