First, GDP does measure the relative wealth of nations. Qatar's is tiny; the EU's is huge. And huge countries generally do not make major concessions to smaller ones (i.e. Qatar is hardly going to bow to demands for reciprocity from Moldova). Second, GDP per capita measures the average wealth of individual citizens. If there was a country consisting of one man and he had $100,000 in his pocket, then he would rank number one. However, I seriously doubt no matter how much he complained about reciprocity that other governments would take much notice. National economic power is determined by the AGGREGATE wealth of its citizens not the AVERAGE. Yes, the average Qatari citizen's wealth is higher than that of the average America, but Qatari citizens are poorer than citizens of Norway and Luxenbourg, both, which I pointed out, deny Qataris visas on arrival. So now you tell us that it has nothing to do with wealth. Instead, it is all about the xenophobic, racist West. So why did you not simply start with the point to begin with?
I disagree (but not entirely) about US and EU visa policies being driven by anti-Muslim feeling. My sense is that it is more about security (Qatari passports and borders are far less secure) and because the US and most EU nations have easily accessible embassies here that Qataris can obtain visas much more easily than the citizens of Canada (my home nation) or New Zealand, which do not have Qatari embassies. Most of the reason, however, is that Qatar is not a major blip on the radar screen of the US (perhaps wrongly, but not a major blip nonetheless). This more to do with relative size and aggregate economic importance that a diabolical plot to discriminate against Arab countries, although it does not help with the most publicity Qatar has received in years comes via a diplomatic underling's poor sense of humor. Article headlines that have the words bomb, terrorist and Qatar are never a good combination for national standing, even when people read the truth of the matter in the story that follows.
But even if I were to agree completely with you about the policies being driven by discrimination, surely you must see that the way to change this misperception is by encouraging people from those places to visit Qatar and see for themselves that there is nothing to fear and that Europeans, North Americans and Qataris have much in common. The Western media and entertainment industries (for better and for worse) exposes people here to a great deal of Western culture. People in the Europe and North America, however, are not generally exposed to similar amounts of Arab culture, as Arab media and entertainment are still comparatively small and Westerners rarely learn Arabic, so the best way is through limited tourism. India's standing in Canada, the US and Europe has boomed with the blossoming of its entertainment industry, as has China's with is carefully crafted push for Western tourism and such events as the hosting of the recent Olympics. This has benefited everyone. My sense is that many in the Qatari government want something similar with such efforts as its recent push for the World Cup bid, the hosting of the Asia games, the attention toward "green" construction, the advent of the Doha debates, and the building of such iconic cultural treasures of international importance as the Museum of Islamic Art.
When the Qatar government makes arbitrary policies that seemed fueled by egotistic notions reciprocity (and when people cheer it on international forums such as this) it makes Qatar look bad. Perhaps reciprocity has nothing to do with the government's decision, as people on the forum have pointed out. If that is the case, good governance and public relations would suggest that this policy should be clarified publicly and in great detail.
Deepb,
Wow, you clearly have some resentment here.
First, GDP does measure the relative wealth of nations. Qatar's is tiny; the EU's is huge. And huge countries generally do not make major concessions to smaller ones (i.e. Qatar is hardly going to bow to demands for reciprocity from Moldova). Second, GDP per capita measures the average wealth of individual citizens. If there was a country consisting of one man and he had $100,000 in his pocket, then he would rank number one. However, I seriously doubt no matter how much he complained about reciprocity that other governments would take much notice. National economic power is determined by the AGGREGATE wealth of its citizens not the AVERAGE. Yes, the average Qatari citizen's wealth is higher than that of the average America, but Qatari citizens are poorer than citizens of Norway and Luxenbourg, both, which I pointed out, deny Qataris visas on arrival. So now you tell us that it has nothing to do with wealth. Instead, it is all about the xenophobic, racist West. So why did you not simply start with the point to begin with?
I disagree (but not entirely) about US and EU visa policies being driven by anti-Muslim feeling. My sense is that it is more about security (Qatari passports and borders are far less secure) and because the US and most EU nations have easily accessible embassies here that Qataris can obtain visas much more easily than the citizens of Canada (my home nation) or New Zealand, which do not have Qatari embassies. Most of the reason, however, is that Qatar is not a major blip on the radar screen of the US (perhaps wrongly, but not a major blip nonetheless). This more to do with relative size and aggregate economic importance that a diabolical plot to discriminate against Arab countries, although it does not help with the most publicity Qatar has received in years comes via a diplomatic underling's poor sense of humor. Article headlines that have the words bomb, terrorist and Qatar are never a good combination for national standing, even when people read the truth of the matter in the story that follows.
But even if I were to agree completely with you about the policies being driven by discrimination, surely you must see that the way to change this misperception is by encouraging people from those places to visit Qatar and see for themselves that there is nothing to fear and that Europeans, North Americans and Qataris have much in common. The Western media and entertainment industries (for better and for worse) exposes people here to a great deal of Western culture. People in the Europe and North America, however, are not generally exposed to similar amounts of Arab culture, as Arab media and entertainment are still comparatively small and Westerners rarely learn Arabic, so the best way is through limited tourism. India's standing in Canada, the US and Europe has boomed with the blossoming of its entertainment industry, as has China's with is carefully crafted push for Western tourism and such events as the hosting of the recent Olympics. This has benefited everyone. My sense is that many in the Qatari government want something similar with such efforts as its recent push for the World Cup bid, the hosting of the Asia games, the attention toward "green" construction, the advent of the Doha debates, and the building of such iconic cultural treasures of international importance as the Museum of Islamic Art.
When the Qatar government makes arbitrary policies that seemed fueled by egotistic notions reciprocity (and when people cheer it on international forums such as this) it makes Qatar look bad. Perhaps reciprocity has nothing to do with the government's decision, as people on the forum have pointed out. If that is the case, good governance and public relations would suggest that this policy should be clarified publicly and in great detail.