Qatars tidigare ledare död – gjorde landet stenrikt

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (Arabic: حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني; 1 January 1952 – 12 July 2026) was Emir of Qatar from 1995 until his abdication in 2013. Hamad seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless palace coup d'état in 1995. During his 18-year rule, Qatar's natural gas production reached 77 million tonnes, making Qatar the richest country in the world per capita with the average income in the country being US$86,440 a year per person. As emir of Qatar, Hamad ruled the country as an absolute monarch, with supreme authority over all branches of state power, and no political parties were allowed. During his reign, several sports and diplomatic events took place in Qatar, including the 2006 Asian Games, 2011 AFC Asian Cup, 2012 UN Climate Change Conference, Doha Agreement, Fatah–Hamas Doha Agreement, and the decision to hold the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the country. He established the Qatar Investment Authority. By 2013, it had invested over $100 billion around the world, including The Shard, Barclays Bank, Heathrow Airport, Harrods, Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Volkswagen, Siemens, and Royal Dutch Shell. Qatar began hosting two U.S. military bases while also maintaining relations with Iran. Hamad founded news media group Al Jazeera in 1996, and also played a part in negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban. In June 2013, Hamad, in a brief televised address, announced that he would hand power to his fourth son, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was born to his second wife, Moza bint Nassir. Following his abdication, he became known as the Father Emir in Qatari terminology.