Family Drama
February 1, 2000
Cousin of then emir, Sheikh Hamad al-Thani, and 32 others are jailed for life for failed coup attempt in 1996.
GCC Defense Efforts
December 30, 2000
Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE sign a regional defense pact
Bahrain-Qatar Border Dispute Resolved
March 30, 2001
Qatar settles border disputes with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
U.S. Transfers Central Command to Qatar
March 1, 2002
Preparations begin at the al-Udeid air base for a potential U.S. transfer of Central Command officers to location as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom and in anticipation of combat in the Middle East.
Qatar Approves Consitution
February 1, 2003
Qatar-based U.S. Central Command takes the lead in the U.S.-led Iraq War. Qatari voters also approve of a new constitution in which two-thirds of the parliament is elected, and the remaining one-third is appointed by the emir.
Chechen President Assassinated in Doha
February 8, 2004
Former Chechen president Zelimkhan Yanderbiyev, is assassinated in capital city of Doha. Qatar’s courts sentences two Russian agents with life imprisonment, resulting in deterioration in relations with Russia. Prisoners later extradited back to Russia.
Qatar Implements Constitution
June 11, 2005
Qatar’s first written constitution is put fully into effect, extending democratic reform.
Qatar Hosts Asian Olympic Games
December 30, 2006
Becomes first Arab country to host the Olympic Asian Games.
Qatar and Dubai Invest
September 26, 2007
Qatar and Dubai manage to become the two biggest shareholders of the London Stock Exchange, the world’s third largest.
Christians are Allowed to Worship
March 30, 2008
Christians are now allowed to worship openly following the inauguration of the first official Christian church, St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church.
Qatar Cuts Ties with Israel
January 31, 2009
The government cuts ties with Israel over the Gaza offensive.
Qatar Joins Fight in Libya
April 30, 2011
Qatar joins international military operations in Libya, calling on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to resign. Qatar is suspected of supplying arms to Libyan rebel groups.
Qatar Gets World Cup
December 31, 2011
Qatar wins bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Taliban Opens Office
January 31, 2012
Taliban opens an office in Qatar to begin launching peace talks with U.S. and Afghan government.
Poet Jailed
October 31, 2013
Court jails poet Mohammed al-Ajami for attempting to incite people to overthrow the government.
Qatar Isolated
March 31, 2014
Qatar is temporarily isolated from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE after allegations that Qatar had been tampering with their internal affairs, primarily their support of the Islamist party the Muslim Brotherhood.
Qatar Joins Coalition against Houthis
March 31, 2015
Qatar joins the GCC states in air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
FIFA in Qatar
May 31, 2015
Amnesty International criticizes Qatar for gross workers’ rights violations in preparing for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Labour abuse on Work Cup sites exposed
March 8, 2016
Amnesty International launches a new report exposing the exploitation of migrant workers on World Cup sites in Qatar. The report will show how, despite limited reform efforts in the past two years touted by the Qatari authorities and FIFA, the country’s Kafala system under which migrant workers must be sponsored by an employer leads to forced labour and other abuses.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt sever ties with Qatar
June 5, 2017
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar over its alleged support of terrorist organizations. The quartet cite Qatar’s close relations to Iran, which competes with Saudi Arabia for regional influence and has been accused of supporting extremist groups in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
US Secretary of State visits Qatar
July 10, 2017
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia in an effort to find a solution for the ongoing blockade. He mentions that the blockade has consequences at the humanitarian level as it disrupts the fight against Daesh.
Visa-free entry announced
August 9, 2017
Qatar announces visa-free entry for citizens from 80 countries in order to to encourage tourism and air transport during the blockade as part of an effort to make Qatar the most open country in the region.
Border with Saudi Arabia closed
December 19, 2017
Saudi Arabia permanently closes its land border with Qatar.
Emir meets with U.S. president.
April 10, 2018
Emir Tamim bin Hamad al Thani of Qatar meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the Gulf crisis.
Qatar takes UAE to UN international court
June 11, 2018
The government of Qatar is taking the United Arab Emirates to the UN International Court of Justice over what it describes as human rights violations, according to the official Qatar News Agency.
GCC summit ends early
July 5, 2018
The annual GCC summit, originally scheduled for two days, ends just a few hours after it begins. Of the six countries, only the heads of state of Kuwait and Qatar were present, with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and UAE only sending ministers and deputy prime ministers to the meeting.
