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
Jan 21
Mark Carney on a world in rupture — and what comes next
Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, received a standing ovation at the World Economic Forum in Davos after warning that the global order has entered a period of “rupture”. In a post-speech interview with Gideon, Carney reflects on how globalisation went wrong — and on what can ... Show More
15m 21s
Jan 20
Alexander Stubb on Greenland: the good, the bad or the ugly?
Gideon speaks to Finland’s president about how to resolve the stand-off between Europe and the US over Greenland. Alexander Stubb describes the dispute as the "most difficult issue he has faced since taking office", arguing that discreet “back office” diplomacy, rather than publi ... Show More
28m 8s
Jan 15
Sudan: inside the world’s worst humanitarian crisis
Famine, mass killings and the collapse of basic government services have pushed Sudan into what the UN now calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. As regional powers across the Middle East fuel the conflict by backing rival factions, civilians have largely been left to fend ... Show More
26m 16s
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
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami