AL THANI FAMILY

Ruling family of Qatar since the late nineteenth century.

The founder of this dynasty was Muhammad ibn Thani (r. 1868–1876), whose political skills won British recognition of Qatar's independence from Bahrain. After 1868, political life in the country was dominated by conflict within the family. Because there were no rules of succession, the strongest and most aggressive family factions have tended to take power. The rule of Ahmad ibn Ali Al Thani (r. 1960–1972) was characterized by inefficiency and personal greed, which resulted in his being deposed by Khalifa ibn Hamad Al Thani (r. 1972–1995). Khalifa used oil revenues to develop the country, pay off an often fractious family, and fund an extravagant lifestyle. Hamad ibn Khalifa Al Thani became de facto ruler in 1992, when his father allowed him to appoint cabinet members, and in 1995 he led a bloodless coup to end his father's reign officially.

After taking power, Hamad retained his post as minister of defense and commander of the armed forces. Although he had taken the position of prime minister as well, he turned it over to Abdullah ibn Khalifa Al Thani in 1997. Hamad named his son Jassem heir apparent in 1996 and attempted to address the family's chronic succession struggles by amending the constitution to regularize the process. He survived a coup attempt in 1996 and oversaw national municipal elections in 1999. A controversy arose in 2002, when published reports noted that Interior Minister Abdullah ibn Kahlid Al Thani had supported al-Qaʿida, a sensitive issue for the United States because of newly established U.S. military facilities in the country.

see also qatar.

Bibliography

Anscombe, Frederick F. The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997.

Crystal, Jill. Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatar. New York; Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Anthony B. Toth