logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
26m 14s

Qatar’s soft power play

Financial Times
About this episode

Qatar’s decision to host the World Cup was mired in controversy from the start but ultimately seems to have paid off, bringing the tiny Gulf emirate new friends and winning over old enemies. Gideon talks to Simeon Kerr, the FT’s Gulf correspondent, about what motivates the emirate to seek to deploy its vast wealth for political ends.

Clips: Qatar Airways; France 24

 

More on this topic:

Qatar wooed EU lawmakers ahead of football World Cup

How the unlikeliest World Cup ever came to be

Qatar faces the harsh glare of World Cup publicity

Qatar World Cup provides rare source of unity to Arab states


Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.

Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jun 28
Bonus episode: Rahm Emanuel on how to fix America
In this special edition of the Rachman Review, Edward Luce, the FT's Washington commentator, talks to Rahm Emanuel, former White House chief of staff for Barack Obama, about where the Democratic party has gone wrong in recent years and how to win back the confidence of middle Ame ... Show More
27m 57s
Jun 25
America's waning power
What are the repercussions of the Iran war for American power? How will the outcome be viewed by America’s allies and the leadership in Beijing? Gideon discusses these questions with Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister of Australia, Katherine Thompson, who until recently was a ... Show More
26m 28s
Jun 18
Jaishankar and Nusseibeh on the challenges of a world at war
How much should we care about wars that are not in our neighbourhood? What role can countries not directly involved play in paving the way for a more peaceful world? Gideon discusses these questions with India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar, Lana Nusseibeh, minister of state for ... Show More
27m 31s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2015
Can Qatar retain the 2022 World Cup?
Allegations that Qatar won its bid to host the 2022 World Cup through bribery have led to calls for the Gulf emirate to be stripped of its right to host the competition - especially after the corruption scandal at football's governing body Fifa erupted last month. Fiona Symon dis ... Show More
7m 55s
Nov 2022
Qatar’s $200bn bet on the World Cup
<p>Qatar is in the spotlight as the host of this year’s World Cup — and the small, oil-rich nation has had to confront a lengthy human rights record with the world watching. The FT’s Gulf correspondent Simeon Kerr breaks down Qatar’s larger goals due to hosting the tournament, an ... Show More
17m 53s
Nov 2022
Qatar’s Big Bet on the World Cup
<p>The World Cup, the biggest single sporting event on the planet, began earlier this month. By the time the tournament finishes, half the global population is expected to have watched. </p><p>The 2022 World Cup has also been the focus of over a decade of controversy because of i ... Show More
34m 14s
Nov 2022
World Cup: Welcome to Qatar!
Soccer is sometimes called “the second religion of the Arab World,” and Qatar is the region’s first country to host the World Cup. But FIFA’s pick of the desert nation comes with boundless controversy. This episode was produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-check ... Show More
24m 54s
Nov 2022
Qatar’s bet on the World Cup
<p>Mortgage rates in the UK on five-year fixed deals have dipped below 6 per cent for the first time in nearly two months, and US retailers are facing their first real-terms fall in revenues since the global financial crisis this holiday season. Plus, the FT’s gulf correspondent, ... Show More
9m 28s
Nov 2022
Qatar and the fall of Fifa
When Qatar was announced as the host of the men's World Cup in 2022, it sent shockwaves around the football world. The small, spectacularly wealthy country, with a tiny population, little existing infrastructure, massive concerns over human rights and labour rights, and summer te ... Show More
50m 1s
Nov 2022
Qatar’s 2022 World Cup
The World Cup is underway in Qatar, and it’s already contentious. Host Roy Wood Jr. sits down with Daily Show writer Joe Opio and sports journalist Grant Wahl to discuss how Qatar was awarded hosting privileges, the thousands of migrant workers who died while building whole citie ... Show More
43m 39s
Dec 2022
Qatar’s World Cup gamble
The Gulf state of Qatar is currently hosting the most expensive Fifa World Cup ever having spent an estimated $220 billion on the event. Seven of the eight stadiums have been built from scratch with new railways, motorways and dozens of new hotels also adding to the cost. It’s th ... Show More
49m 6s