| Some countries are called “cunning states”. Cunning means the quality or skill of being clever at planning something to reach your goals, even by tricking others. Qatar is often referred to as a “cunning state”. In the EU bubble, Qatar’s name was mostly mentioned in the context of the ongoing Qatargate scandal, with hefty bribes allegedly paid to MEPs and other officials to advance the interests of the tiny but rich peninsular Arab country. In that period, it concerned the 2022 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Qatar, amid criticism of alleged bribery in the bidding process, human rights violations, and, specifically, the treatment of migrant workers who build the sports facilities. Essentially, Qatar was the corruptor in the shrine of European democracy, but the tide has turned since then in favour of the small Arab state. A fresh episode was the release of Belgian national Olivier Vandecasteele, held as a hostage in an Iranian jail, in which Qatar played a positive role and hosted the prisoner exchange (five Iranians held in the US) on the tarmac of the Doha airport. Qatar also got a bonus: Belgium dropped an arrest warrant for the Qatari labour minister, who allegedly played a role in the Qatargate scandal, as a courtesy. That’s cunning, indeed. Then, all of a sudden, Qatar is getting international praise for having played a key role in negotiating the release of some 50 hostages captured during the heinous Hamas rampage in Israel on 7 October. | 