In March 2021 I finally gave in to temptation and became a member of Chatham House. An independent institute which specialises in fostering global debate and understanding and of course forever associated with the ‘Chatham House Rule’. Over the last 12 months I’ve enjoyed the rich thought leadership and the opportunity to listen to and engage with experts and world leaders. As the pandemic has subsided virtual meetings have been enriched with in-person experiences and it’s about one of those that I am writing about today.
Last Wednesday Chatham House hosted HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for the State of Qatar. I was expecting a solid performance, Qataris are nothing if not prepared, but I didn’t expect a diplomatic tour de force. But let’s back up. Despite flying through Hamad International Airport, Doha many times on the way to Karachi, I’ve never spent any time in the city state. As a metaphor the airport probably sums up the efficient approach of the Deputy Prime Minister - this is an airport where 45 - 55 minute international connections are the norm.
If I am honest I expected 30 minutes of remarks and then 30 minutes of questions. Back in January the UK Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon Liz Truss MP, had been in full broadcast mode when she appeared at the same lectern. That wasn’t the case - 5 minutes of speech, centered on Qatar’s role in the world and of course the upcoming FIFA World Cup and then easily 60 plus minutes of questions.
Questions on everything. Unfiltered and spontaneous they ran the gamut. Every question answered fully without hesitation and when I say they covered every corner of the globe that is no exaggeration. Remember this is a country of not quite 3 million people. Yes it has extraordinary wealth but it was fascinating to see the Deputy Prime Minister flex his mind from Afghanistan to China to Palestine to Ukraine.
What was most refreshing was the high degree of nuance and the answering of complex, multi-part questions. We’ve become very used to politicians giving an answer they want and not necessarily to the question just asked. There was none of that.
Countries come along from time-to-time and punch way above their diplomatic weight. It feels like all roads lead to Doha, or, as the Deputy Prime Minister put it - “We in Qatar look to the future with a continued sense of optimism for peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond. Each country has a role to play on the global stage and Qatar’s foreign policy is uniquely positioned to encourage peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.”