Libya conflict shows global reach of emerging polities Qatar and Turkey

Largely unaffected by the ‘Arab Spring’ surging through the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), Qatar – with its tiny national population and burgeoning hydrocarbons and investment revenues – has consolidated its reputation as a small state that punches hugely above its demographic weight in a number of arenas of current global significance, including Libya and Sudan (where Doha has played a significant role, largely unrecognised, in smoothing the financial complexities of the impending independence of South Sudan and its impact on the regime in Khartoum).