Qatar shows how to work through a ‘good’ crisis

If there is such a thing as a “good” crisis, Qatar has had one. The gas-rich emirate – long in the shadow of its more high-profile neighbours to the east, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, as well as the regional behemoth, Saudi Arabia to the west – has emerged from the global financial hurricane with kudos, self-confidence and most of its expansion ambitions intact.

Certainly, that was the impression I got last week on a three-day trip to Doha. It had been about 18 months since I last visited the country, and where I had previously detected a sleepy, small-town atmosphere – certainly in comparison to the boldness of Dubai or the solid affluence of Abu Dhabi – there is now a sense of maturity and progress.

From the vantage point of the stunning Museum of Islamic Art, built offshore but linked to the mainland via a short causeway, you see a distinct Manhattan-style skyline emerging from what was before a forest of cranes and scaffolding. The road system is no longer a jumble of construction works and diversions. The malls have lost that “just built” feel and the hotels and conference halls seem lived-in and well attended.