In Qatar, A (Rare) Royal Abdication
Qatar's emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, handed over power to his 33-year-old son on Tuesday, and we found this rather remarkable on several counts.
First, an abdication in the Middle East, or anywhere for that matter, is pretty rare. Yes, we know that Queen Beatrix abdicated earlier this year in favor of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander. But she was 75, and this is one of the few places that had a precedent for passing the baton in this manner.
The norm is for a monarchy to change hands through the death of an elderly king or queen. If you don't believe us, just ask Britain's Prince Charles.
In Qatar, Sheik Hamad came to power in a 1995 bloodless coup that deposed his father, who was on an extended summer vacation in Europe.
Sheik Hamad's decision to step down now is also surprising because he's just 61. Health may have been a factor, but the government has not divulged any details.
And Sheik Hamad has been a tremendously ambitious leader during his 18-year rule and did not seem like the type to step aside at a relatively young age.
He established Al-Jazeera, the satellite television network; he made his tiny island an outsized political player; and he used Qatar's great oil and gas wealth to invest in high-profile businesses that ranged from London's Harrods department store to soccer's Paris Saint-Germain.
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