Qatar's Future

What will the future hold for Qatar? Gazing into our crystal ball, Qatar Visitor came up with these ten predictions...

1. Qatar will become richer - much richer. Not in the immediate future - gas and oil prices will fall, reducing the revenue available to Qatar, but it will become richer in the long term. After buying up all the shares in the world at rock bottom prices during the coming depression, Qatar will be able to live off dividends long before its fossil fuels run out. America will survive on Qatar handouts, while collections of food and clothing will be made for the poor and hungry in Europe.

2. As wealth increases, the quality of life will fall. As more money enters the country, more people will buy cars. Continued road building will fail to keep up with the growth in traffic. The eight children most families here seem to have will grow up and want a Land Cruiser each. People will spend more and more time in their cars, stuck in traffic, and less time with their families. On the rare occasions people venture outside, they will have to wear oxygen masks.

3. There will be public transport. The public transport will be world class. No one will use it except for the poor, who will find it very useful, and a few mad expats. Everyone who has a car will continue to drive.

4. There will be more cities. They might not be cities in the the sense that we have them in other countries (i.e. with more than ten people living there), but they will be called cities. If you have been in Qatar for a while you will understand this.

5. The real estate bubble will pop. People always say a bubble is not going to pop, and it always pops. There will be another bubble a few years later.

6. Inflation will decrease - in the short term. However, this will be associated with recession, which may be milder than the rest of the world due to Qatar's oil and gas reserves. After a while inflation will rise again, and after five years an apple will cost one hundred million riyals.

7. Qatar will face problems with flooding. We live in a world which is getting hotter, and Qatar is a low country. As Qatar is gradually swamped it will suddenly become very environmentally conscious, and will champion the environment across the world. They will build a city, and call it Environment City. They may even put the price of gasoline up, and will certainly invest in Nuclear Energy and solar power. The richest, realising the world is doomed, will also invest in large boats.

8. The Qatar stock market will go up. And down. Or down and up. Whenever it goes up people will think it will carry on doing so and put all their money on it. Whenever it goes down people will think it will carry on doing so and take all their money out just as it reaches the bottom. A few smart cookies will realise this and do the opposite, making a fortune in the meantime. Actually, this goes for most of the rest of the world too.

9. Qataris will suddenly become aware of the Internet. There will be an Internet bubble. Barwa will build Internet City. Sites like Qatar Living will be exchanged for a 1000 times earnings. Then suddenly everyone will become aware that websites don't actually make much money and the bubble will come crashing down.

10. Qatar will become high tech. Japanese scientists will be brought into the country to create thobed robots who can clean, cook, take a beating with a smile and build buildings even cheaper than expat labourers can. Robot City will be built.

Got any more to add? Let us know...