Qatar is a small nation located on a peninsula in the Gulf region. Despite its small size, the country has garnered considerable influence since its rise in 1971, when it was a British protectorate and projected itself on the global stage. In 2022, Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup, a landmark event that not only captivated global audiences but also underscored the nation’s emergence as a world-class hub of culture, sport, and innovation. As articulated by Kamrava, Qatar “transformed itself from a poor backwater and a practical vassal state of Saudi Arabia a few decades ago into one of the region’s richest, most recognisable and highly influential states.” Via soft power, high-profile mediations, and hyperactive diplomacy, it has accumulated significant influence globally and in the Gulf and Middle East. The pioneer of this foreign policy was former Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who has been widely credited with establishing “the modern state of Qatar” and overseeing the transformation of the emirate into “a state with a global reputation, powerful international allies, a significant regional influence and the strongest welfare state on earth.” The ascendancy of Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to power in 1995 was concomitant with the restructuring of Qatar’s foreign policy to enhance its international and regional image through soft power tools such as settling regional conflicts via mediator-integrator roles, facilitating humanitarian aid, promoting development cooperation, promoting culture and sport via the Qatar Foundation, and establishing a pan-Arab television channel, Al-Jazeera. Under the leadership of Amir Hamad bin Khalifa, Qatar underwent a process of political liberalisation, evidenced by the: