Reviewing Qatar's role in the Persian Gulf with an Emphasis on Qatar-US relations

Qatar is a modest but influential country in the Middle East that has evolved into a remarkable determinant that could leave crucial impacts upon the region's fate. Qatar's role has been distinguished from other regional actors in terms of foreign policy and new diplomacy in the region. Qatar's motives for adopting a mediating foreign policy are defined as maintaining its security and stability in areas with tense geography, contending and evading conflict by declaring for one of the parties, ambition to extend its influence as a regional determinant, particularly against Saudi Arabia, and as a bargaining chip in the international community. The question, “what is the impact of Qatar-US relations on the security of the Persian Gulf region?” has been raised to conduct this study, composed in a descriptive-analytical manner. Accordingly, the results of the study designate that Qatar's leaning towards the United States arises from its sense of insecurity and the fact that the United States acts as an advocate for Qatar in the region. Furthermore, Qatar's role in the political equation signifies that other conventional sources of power that include land, population, and military might, are not the sole forms of power, and novel sources such as the media, norms, and cultivating a brand can similarly serve as sources of power.