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The terrorist attack that rattled Doha on March 19 could not have come at a worse time for Qatar. The suicide strike came against a backdrop of sweeping economic developments and social transformation in the country. For example, in the next few weeks, the authorities plan to open up the local bourse to foreign nationals. Surprisingly, not just the target but the terrorist as well happened to be non-locals. The authorities have identified the attacker as Omar Ahmad Abdullah Ali, an Egyptian national. The target was Doha Players Theatre in a well-to-do northern suburb of Doha, packed with Westerners, mainly British. The assault killed one Briton and injured 12 others, though unquestionably the terrorist wanted to cause maximum human casualty. Economic development
By their action, the terrorists possibly desire to undermine ongoing economic progress in Qatar. Lately, the Qatari economy has been experiencing extraordinary economic successes in numerous fields. For example, according to the Planning Council, Qatar's nominal gross domestic product grew by a hefty 20 per cent in 2004. The figure would remain exceptionally high even after adjusting for inflation rate of 6 per cent. To be fair, inflation in Qatar is the highest in the region, in turn reflecting massive spending. According to a recent issue of MEED magazine, the projected capital investment programme in Qatar could be as high as $20 billion (Dh73.6 billion) per annum over the next five years. For instance, the authorities have allocated some $7 billion (Dh25.76 billion) for the next five years, as part of efforts to overhaul the country's aging infrastructure. Qatar needs to upgrade its infrastructure if only to meet rising demand of a population growing by 5 per cent annually. Yet, the biggest spending is reserved for the energy sector. On the energy front, Qatar is expected to become the world's leading exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas to liquids (GTL) as early as 2010. LNG exports of contractual and spot sales have topped 20 million tonnes per annum (tpa). Yet, if all heads of agreements translate into firm contracts, then the capacity could reach 77 million tpa within the next five years or so. With regard to the stock market, the government has decided to allow foreign nationals owning up to 25 per cent of shares listed at Doha Stock Market (DSM) starting from early April. Liberal lifestyle A study by the Economist has ranked Qatar as the best country in the region in overall quality of life in 2005 (Dubai emerged as the liveliest city). The study used numerous variables, including political stability and community life. In reality, the authorities have been relaxing restriction and gradually allowing greater liberalisation with regards to social norms. For example, some hotels in Doha have designated places as nightspots. Ostensibly, conservatives in Qatar regard the presence of discos and Western lifestyle (the Doha theatre was staging a Shakespeare play) as something not acceptable. Officials feel obliged to relax restrictions, as the majority of Qatar's 840,000 inhabitants are foreign nationals. Undoubtedly, the suicide terrorist was an educated person (working as a computer programmer in the state-owned Qatar Petro-leum Company) firmly believing in the cause of carrying out the attack. In return, the authorities need to apply the traditional Qatari wisdom in addressing the problem. A violent reaction may not necessarily be the right response, as this could lead to a vicious cycle of counter violence. Fortunately, the authorities have not permitted any sort of backlash against the Egyptian community living and working in Qatar. Yet above all, officials should not allow anyone the opportunity to disturb the country's peace. The writer is assistant professor, College of Business Administration, University of Bahrain.
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