Qatar became the first Arab country on Monday to recognize Libya's rebels as the people's sole legitimate representative, in a move that may presage similar moves from other Gulf states.

The English outcry at FIFA's decision to award the World Cup to Russia and Qatar has obscured what might be a brilliant gesture of goodwill.

"This year, the Islamic Republic of Iran will be the showcase's special guest and is given a great chance to introduce its culture and publication to the world. Former guests of the book fair were the US, France and Turkey," said [Qatari Culture Minister Mohammad Ibn Abdolaziz] Alkavari.

Money is a wonderful thing. Qatar has plenty of it and is putting it to use in its expanded public diplomacy. With wealth rather than weaponry, Qatar is becoming a new kind of superpower. The tiny state’s latest triumph is being named the site of the 2022 World Cup.

DOHA --- Money is a wonderful thing. Qatar has plenty of it and is putting it to use in its expanded public diplomacy. With wealth rather than weaponry, Qatar is becoming a new kind of superpower.

Austria and Qatar have boosted their bilateral relations with agreements on double taxation and air transport. While one accord ensures that income and capital aren't taxed twice, the other provides the basis for future negotiations on, among other things, the number of flights between the two countries.

Any defining moment of a year is usually an analysis in past tense. Rarely ever is it a judgment in future tense. But that’s exactly how it is in the case of Qatar successfully bidding in 2010 to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. While winning the bid is victory enough to become a defining moment for the present, the real impact lies in what this success could do for the Gulf in general and for Qatar in particular over the next decade and beyond.

When Fifa announced earlier this month to a stunned world that tiny Qatar will host the 2022 football World Cup, it signalled the arrival of the Gulf era. Clearly the events in our region have climaxed and caused this titanic shift, changing stereotypes about the insignificance of our region.