What is Qatar? (Scan).

As America prepares for war in Iraq, we have been hearing more about the tiny Arab emirate of Qatar. Home to several thousand U.S. troops, the largest stash of pre-positioned American military gear in the region, and a new alternate headquarters for our forces in the Middle East, Qatar has become our key ally in the Persian Gulf. Despite some initial hesitance, Qatar now seems supportive of a war against Iraq. But how reliable is our new friend?

A traditional monarchy run by an emir, Qatar has been independent since 1971. It was long allied closely with Saudi Arabia, which it borders. Roughly 4,400 square miles in area, it has a population of approximately 600,000--of which only a quarter are actually Qatari, the remainder being predominantly Pakistanis, Indians, other Arabs, and Iranians.

Oil fires its economy. Recently, tremendous natural gas reserves have been discovered under its territorial waters. Qatar has used its natural riches to jump rapidly into the twenty-first century, modernizing its society, building up a physical structure, diversifying its economy with a push into technology, and becoming a regional meeting and leisure center.

While the Qataris are Arabs from the same ultra-strict Wahabi sect as the Saudis, the current ruler is much more open and Westernized. Since the 1995 bloodless inter-family coup that brought the present emir to the throne, Qatar has been liberalizing and moving closer to the U.S. And military relations have mushroomed.

Legislators on the national advisory council are still appointed by the ruling family, but in 1999 the first-ever elections were held for a municipal council. Women have the right to vote. And press censorship has been relaxed. The relatively independent ...