Zahra Babar

The Cost of Belonging: Citizenship Construction in the State of Qatar

In Qatar, processes of constructing citizenship have been strongly state-driven over the past four decades. This article reviews the primary influences on Qatari citizenship laws, including historical and contemporary social contexts that have impacted the development of relevant legislation. The article argues that the existing financial privileges of Qatari citizenship as well as the presence of a dominant nonnational population have led to an ever more restrictive legal environment around access to citizenship.

Population, Power, and Distributional Politics in Qatar

Abstract The peculiar demographic situation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states is assumed to have arisen as a consequence of the unique economic forces prevailing in this sub-region, where large stocks of temporary migrants are active in the overall labor market, and in three states foreigners outnumber the native population. The common understanding is that the influx of migrants to the Gulf countries has been driven by the transformative effect of oil and gas revenue. Gulf demography is considered a natural result of de facto economic conditions, where a paucity of local labor has come up against a region-wide booming, oil-driven development agenda. While accepting the primacy of economic forces in shaping the regional reliance on foreign labor, this paper suggests that the GCCs peculiar demography is also reflective of particular political choices made by the states. This paper examines two particular policymaking tools used widely across the region, namely — the kafāla (worker-sponsorship) system and public sector employment of citizens and assess them within the Qatari context. In Qatar, it appears that these policy tools have been state choices not only to preserve citizens’ economic satisfaction, but also political and social stability.

The "Enemy Within": Citizenship-Stripping in the Post–Arab Spring GCC

Abstract:This article reviews the impact of the Arab Spring on citizenship rights throughout the Gulf states, drawing on both internal and external dimensions of security that have become inextricably linked with notions of who has the right to maintain their citizenship. In particular, the article focuses on the phenomenon of citizenship revocation as a mode of disciplining behavior considered to be inconsistent with established norms of state-citizen relations in this region.

Fragile Politics: Weak States in the Greater Middle East

1. Weak States in the Middle East Mehran Kamrava, CIRS, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar 2. Yemen: Failing State or Failing Politics? Charles Schmitz, Towson University 3. Questioning Failure, Stability, and Risk in Yemen Sarah Phillips, University of Sydney 4. Interventionism and the Fear of Urban Agency in Afghanistan and Iraq Daniel Esser, American University 5. Libya After Qadhafi: Fragmentation, Hybridity, and Informality Frederic Wehrey, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 6. Strong Actor in a Weak State: The Geopolitics of Hizbullah Shoghig Mikaelian, Concordia University; and Bassel F. Salloukh, Lebanese American University 7. Margin and Center in Sudan: On the Historicity of State Weakness Rogaia Abusharaf, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar 8. Sudan: A Turbulent Political Marketplace Alex de Waal, Tufts University 9. Women, Work, and the Weak State: A Case Study of Pakistan and Sudan Zahra Babar, CIRS, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar; and Dwaa Osman, CIRS, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar 10. Whither Palestine? Weak State, Failed State, or No State at All? Glenn E. Robinson, Naval Postgraduate School 11. Diasporas and State (Re)building in the MENA Region: Potential and Constraints Laurie Brand, University of Southern California 12. State Capacity and Aid Effectiveness in Weak States in the Greater Middle East Mark McGillivray, Deakin University; Simon Feeny, RMIT University; and Ashton De Silva, RMIT University

The “Humane Economy”: Migrant Labour and Islam in Qatar and the UAE

The Gulf region has emerged as one of the largest hubs of international migration and more recently has also become a site of contestation for debates over the treatment of international labour migrants. This paper reviews the labour migration system in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, studies the unfolding human rights discourse on Gulf migration, and examines how Islamic principles might be applied to the labour reforms taking place in these countries. The paper suggests that there is a fragmented landscape around the human rights discourse of migrant workers globally. There are also tensions around the adoption of international human rights norms as a framework for addressing the vulnerabilities of Gulf migrants. In conclusion, the paper argues that the category of current Gulf labour migrant is best served if placed within the Islamic view of how an ethical economy ought to function. Islamic precepts on the ‘humane’ economy can serve to provide guidance on how to balance the interests of workers and employers, and elevate the standards for migrant workers’ rights in this region.

Circular Migration and the Gulf States

In this chapter the authors assess the application of the circular migration framework to the six Gulf Cooperation Council member states of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Oman. By some estimations, the six GCC states comprise the third largest migratory destination in the contemporary world, and for decades these states have hosted large transient migrant populations that, in some manner or another, appear to fit the definition of circular migration. Through an analysis of migration to the Gulf States this chapter provides an empirical contribution to the expanding discussion of circular migration. In this chapter the nexus between the Gulf migration system and the circular migration framework is configured around two focal points. After an overview of migration in the Gulf States, the authors first examine the policy frameworks that regulate and govern migration to the GCC. Second, using an ethnographic lens, the authors explore the experiences of the migrants at work in the region. They conclude with a discussion of the implications of promoting the circular migration framework in the region.