Piepklein, steenrijk, stronteigenwijs: Qatar

Qatar. Everyone talks about it, but do you really know where it is? I think... ...in there somewhere? I think this. Why Qatar? Ask something else. Türkiye is here, the Netherlands is here. I think next. I think here somewhere, in Asia. No no no. All wrong. Is here. That's all, yes. The super rich, but small Qatar. But really, tiny. Let's just say, a little bigger than North Brabant and Gelderland combined. And as of this moment... The country that will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022 is... ...Qatar. ...we can't stop talking about it. So thousands of people have already died.

Total nonsense. Are you going to look or are you not going to look? What is the role of the KNVB and what does FIFA do? But what do we really know about this country? This is explained to Qatar. Six hours of flight, we move forward two hours and you're here. In Doha. The capital of Qatar. Today we know Doha like this. But not long ago Doha looked like this. A large sandy plain. For centuries, there has only been one thing that makes a little money. Pearls. They emerge from the sea. It is historical, without this the town could not survive in the past.

Heavy and dangerous work, often done by poor Qataris and slaves. Until the invention of... ...this. ...artificial pearls. So diving for real pearls no longer makes much sense. These are difficult times for Qatar, with famine, poverty... ...and many people are even calling it a day. They left. A population of about 30,000 halves. But then... ...oil. In a small town called Dukhan, geologists discover... ...oil. Finally something that makes a lot of money. A few years later, 1971: independence. We will immediately begin... ...to take the necessary steps... ...to incorporate our Arab State into the Arab community... ...and into the United Nations.

And it only gets better. In the 1970s they found gas. Lots of gasoline. What was once considered useless... ...is now one of the most valuable assets in the world. Off the coast is South Pars/North Dome, a gigantic gas field. But really, huge. Only Russia and Iran have larger gas reserves. Realize for a moment. Russia and Iran, those countries are huge. And Qatar... no. Such a large gas supply for such a small country is quite special. In addition, the price of gas has increased greatly due to the war in Ukraine. You've probably noticed it. If not, check this out.

So it's cash for Qatar. And it will continue to be that way for a while. Because the EU's gas reserves are still good... ...but we will have to replenish them next winter. And then Qatar is indispensable. By the way, Qatar is not a democracy, it is an absolute monarchy. The emir, a kind of king, decides almost everything. Also what happens to all that money. That wealth is changing Qatar. You can just see it. This is how Doha's skyline grew over the last twenty years. Qatar does not have the manpower to build it itself. This is what immigrants from abroad do.

Mainly from Asia and Africa. And today there are so many of those immigrants... ...that they constitute the majority in Qatar. And when I say more, I really mean a lot more. Of the almost three million people, 90 percent are labor immigrants. 90 percent. The rest?

qatar

i. My people, the Qataris, are less than ten percent of the population. They have a prosperous life. With healthcare, free education and they don't pay taxes. So if you live like this, maybe you care a little less about democracy. But not everyone in Qatar is so rich. Guest workers have all kinds of advantages, but far fewer than Qataris.

And working conditions are not always good either. I'll come back to it later. Let's first talk about Qatar's income. Qatar's wealth depends on the price of oil and gas and its demand. If that demand declines, there's another plan B. A sort of national piggy bank of oil and gas dollars. The Qatar Investment Authority. And there's quite a bit of money in that. How much exactly is unclear? But it is in the hundreds of billions. Qatar uses that money to invest around the world. They own shares in Volkswagen... ...they buy the Paris Saint-Germain football club... ...and the British department store Harrods.

Everything to prepare for the future. Qatar is gaining more and more influence. And that is exactly what the emir wants. There's just one problem: Qatar is small and vulnerable. And the neighboring country, Saudi Arabia, is big and powerful. Qatar wants to escape from that shadow. For example, being open to new links. Starting with Iran, Saudi Arabia's archenemy. It's another story in itself. You should see this one. Also important: Qatar is building a military base for the United States and Great Britain for free... The largest in the Middle East. Good protection against Saudi Arabia. Qatar also maintains ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and the Taliban.

Groups that see Qatar's neighbors as terrorists. Qatar does this to be able to mediate in conflict situations. Between the United States and the Taliban, for example. But in some ways it bothers neighboring countries. What bothers you? Al Jazeera. An international news channel paid for by Qatar. The first in the region with a critical eye. Well, if it's not Qatar, that is. They allow opponents of regimes and neighboring countries to express their opinion. For example during the Arab Spring. People swear revenge. The lethal national action has been condemned internationally. Anti-government sentiment is growing. The neighbors were not very happy about it.

They even got so angry with stubborn Qatar that they boycotted it in 2017. These are Egypt, Saudi Arabia... ...Yemen, the United Arab Emirates... ...and Bahrain. This means that air, land and sea routes will be completely closed... ...and that trade between Qatar and those countries will come to a complete halt. A big problem if you import almost everything. We want this to end. Believe me, we want this to end. Three years later the boycott is lifted and Qatar survives. In fact, the country is becoming less dependent on other countries in the Persian Gulf. Within fifteen days we will have air-conditioned farms... ...for the first phase of 4,000 cows.

The emir gets his way. He wants everyone to know Qatar. He tries to get attention in every way possible. And maybe you already feel it. There is no better stage than the largest sporting event in the world. In fact, the World Cup in Qatar is receiving a lot of attention. But if it is the attention that the Emir expected... Brothers and sisters, since we were granted the honor of hosting the World Cup... ...Qatar has been criticized in a way that it has never been criticized. happened to any other host. country. So there are criticisms. Especially on three points: Corruption, LGBTI rights and working conditions.

Not so clear in terms of human rights, which is not very good. It is a conservative country. Yes, those construction workers were not treated well. That makes you feel very guilty. There must be action against anti-gay countries. It's really bribed... ...it's all so corrupt. One: corruption. Qatar can hardly be called a football country. So when this happened... ...the immediate rumors were: They bought it. It is true that many of the FIFA members who were allowed to vote were later linked... ...to corruption. However, a link to Qatar has never been proven. Two: LGBTI rights. Qatar is an Islamic country with a conservative population.

Homosexuality is prohibited and, on paper, even carries a prison sentence. That is a problem. Therefore, it is not in vain that LGBTI fans wonder... ...will I be able to go to the World Cup safely? They have to accept our rules. Do you think homosexuality is prohibited? That is forbidden. That is damage to the mind. Three: working conditions. The World Cup stadiums were built by immigrant workers. I said it before: they are the majority in Qatar. But they have few rights. And actually, that's always been the case. Do you remember those pearl divers from the beginning? Qatar was one of the last countries to abolish slavery.

It only happened in 1952. Things didn't improve much after that... ...because immigrants who come to work in Qatar are treated badly. They do not always pay the promised salary costs and accrued benefits. I myself am a victim. There have been many improvements in recent years... When it gets too hot, work stops. ...but working conditions are still terrible. Many construction workers are said to have died. Also in the construction of football stadiums. And that makes this happy commercial very painful... It's great again, it's great again. It's funny, but of course it immediately reminds me of the many construction workers who... ...died during the construction of the stadiums.

The supermarket chain did not immediately notice. Is now. They apologize and take the commercials off the air. Well, I think we have now put Qatar on the map. This.