LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Qatar: Persian Gulf
built 628 days ago
The Qatari democratic experience, compared to others in the region, excelled in four main aspects: First, the elector’s age in Qatar is (18), to guarantee more participation and expand the democratic contribution. Qatar ... excelled in using the media in the Gulf to broadcast live the discussions and debates between the electors and candidates. Qatar also was the first in the region to give women the chance to participate in the elections as a voter and candidate. Members of The Central Municipal Council of the 29 constituencies were offered places, where they could meet with the people of their constituencies.
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Qatar agreed to host pre-positioned equipment for an Army brigade, and in 1996 it hosted an air expeditionary force consisting of 30 fighters and four tankers. Air Force pre-positioning was facilitated by the construction of what may be the premier air base in the Gulf at Al-Udeid. The Qatari philosophy behind construction was likened to "build it and they will come" -- obtain the best defense by providing the best facilities for US and coalition forces. The Al-Udeid Air Base was built at a cost of more than a billion dollars. Its runway measures 15,000 long -- the longest in the Gulf. The facility's shelters can accommodate nearly a hundred aircraft, rather more than needed by the Qatari Air Force, which has only a dozen fighters.
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Qatar was once controlled by the sheikhs of Bahrain, but in 1867, war broke out between the people and their absentee rulers. To keep the peace in the Persian Gulf, the British installed Muhammad ibn Thani al-Thani, head of a leading Qatari family, as the region's ruler. In 1893, the Ottoman Turks made incursions into Qatar, but the emir successfully deflected them. In 1916, the emir agreed to allow Qatar to become a British protectorate.
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The State of Qatar, since its independence and out of its historical, political and national commitment, is following a policy that is based on the unification of destiny and goal of the Gulf, Arab and Islamic states. This consolidates cooperation with all neighboring, friendly peace loving countries in a context of mutual respect and common interests, promotes and serves international peace and security ... achieving prosperity for all countries and peoples.
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The British initially sought out Qatar and the Persian Gulf as an intermediary vantage point en route to their colonial interests in India, although the discovery of oil and other hydrocarbons in the early twentieth century would re-invigorate their interest. During the nineteenth century, the time of Britain’s formative ventures into the region, the Al Khalifa clan reigned over the Northern Qatari peninsula from the nearby island of Bahrain to the west.
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Palestinians were expelled from Qatar in retaliation for the pro-Iraqi stance of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), but since the war relations with the Palestinians have returned to normal. After the Persian Gulf War, Iraq was still regarded as a threat to Qatar's oil interests; Qatar signed a defense pact with the United States but ... restored relations with Iraq.
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