Source: Arab World Studies, No. 6, 2022

Abstract: Qatari mediation diplomacy has played an important role in the Afghan turn of events. Qatar's influence on the situation in Afghanistan began when it allowed the Afghan Taliban to establish a diplomatic presence in Doha, and then facilitated a peace agreement between the United States and the Afghan Taliban. After the change in Afghanistan, Qatar facilitated the evacuation of U.S. personnel from the country, engaged in intensive diplomatic mediation, and served as a bridge between the Afghan interim government and the outside world. Qatar's motivations for engaging in mediation diplomacy in Afghanistan include: turning its hydrocarbon wealth into international influence; implementing a domination strategy to strengthen its alliance with the U.S.; pursuing Islamist values diplomacy; and implementing a national branding strategy to enhance its soft power and international influence. Qatar's mediation diplomacy practice has shed light on the theory and practice of small state diplomacy, however, the lack of a long-term mechanism to consolidate the results of mediation, contradictory internal and external policies, and constraints such as mediation diplomacy backfiring on itself make Qatar's mediation diplomacy have obvious limitations.

  Keywords: Qatar; Change in Afghanistan; Afghan Taliban; Mediation Diplomacy

An Analysis of Qatar's Mediation Diplomacy in the Light of the Afghan Change.pdf