Having become Qatar's new emir in an unprecedented power transfer in the Gulf region, Tamim bin Hamad faces a tough political balancing act, analysts say, as his small emirate seeks to continue its rise as a regional heavyweight. Although Tamim's take-over from his father is unlikely to lead to major policy changes in Qatar, the 33-year-old faces the immediate task of reconciling Doha's ties with the West - on which the gas-rich emirate relies for military support - with its backing of Islamist movements across the region that are often at odds with Western interests.
"Since the Arab Spring revolts, Qatar has been walking the fine line of supporting Islamists while promoting US policy in the region," says Oraibb Rintawi, the head of the Amman-based al-Quds Centre for Political Studies. "With the growing strength of extremist Islamist groups in Syria, Qatar now has to make some tough choices - it can't have it both ways," he told dpa.
Tamim will have to re-evaluate Qatar's close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and the dozens of Islamist political movements it supported in the post-Arab Spring countries of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, observers say. Opposition movements in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya have turned public opinion against what they claim as Doha's "hijacking" of their popular revolts.
"There are people marching in Tahrir Square and Bourguiba Avenue (in Tunisia) burning Qatari flags - if you are Qatar, this is the last thing you want to see," Rintawi said. In an apparent bid to refute criticism of his country, Tamim said in his first speech as emir on Wednesday: "We have not created aspirations of (other) people. What has inspired yearning for freedom is rejection of despotism."
Another major policy challenge awaiting him is Syria, where Qatar is the main financial and military backer of the opposition fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Aanalysts say Tamim will soon find himself in a growing policy dispute between calls to increase arms to Syria's rebels and proposed peace talks between Damascus and the opposition.
"Qatar is likely to continue to push for increased arms supplies to rebels, but it will face growing reluctance by the West," Salman Sheikh, head of the Qatar-based Brookings Doha Centre, said. "There are many in the West and in the region who are not convinced that arming rebels is the answer to ending the conflict, and Sheikh Tamim will have to address their concerns."
Another major threat posed by the Syrian crisis is the emerging role of Qatar's regional rival Iran and the prospect that the 27-month war may escalate into a region-wide sectarian conflict. "If the Syrian conflict turns into a greater Sunni-Shiite conflict and spills over into neighbouring states, Qatar will be seen by some as responsible for this," Sheikh said.
The new ruler will meanwhile face domestic challenges, with rising public pressure to enact constitutional and democratic reforms in the emirate - where he holds most executive and legislative authority. The smooth power handover in Qatar this week has set a precedent in the Gulf region, where rulers usually hold on to hereditary power until death.
Although Tamim's ascension is expected to herald an injection of new blood into the Qatari political elite, his youth and introduction of fresh faces will not be enough to satisfy growing demands for reform. "For two years, young Qataris have watched political changes and elections take place across the region," said Omar Ashour, a political observer and fellow at Brookings Doha. "Sheikh Tamim will have to find a way to satisfy those demands in order to be emir for a new generation."
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