Rumors were spread lately about a coup against Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani after he disappeared from public view for almost two weeks. No one in Qatar confirmed or denied the news; even Al-Jazeera, the well-known Qatari news channel, remained silent, although it usually covers all events worldwide, except in Qatar apparently. In the last two years, Qatar appointed itself the defender of peace and legitimacy in Egypt, calling the ouster of Egypt's former President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 a military coup, to be condemned by the rest of the world. However, in the span of its short history, Qatar, one of the smallest states in the UAE, has already witnessed three coups in 40 years as well as a number of attempted depositions. So when will Qatar condemn itself? The story began on October 24, 1960 when Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al-Thani handed the power over to Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali Al-Thani, who became Emir of Qatar and his cousin Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani became the crown prince. During Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali Al-Thani's reign, Qatar witnessed a huge economic growth due to the discovery of a large number of oil fields in the country, as well as the establishing of a modern management system and the Ministry of Finance. The most important achievement happened during Sheikh Ahmed's rule when Qatar officially declared its independence in 1971, after 55 years under British control. The First Coup (1972) Although the Gulf country witnessed a huge development during Sheikh Ahmed's era, Crown prince Khalifa bin Hamad took over power through a military coup in 1972, appointing his son Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani as the crown prince. Bin Hamad ruled Qatar for 23 years until his son, in his turn, led a coup against him. The Second Coup (1995) In 1995, bin Hamad decided to leave Qatar on an extended European tour. His son and a number of officials attended a ceremony at the airport to bid him farewell and wish him luck on his trip, but little did Khalifa know that his son was sending him to exile. After Khalifa's departure, Hamad announced, in a televised statement, that he was deposing his father, becoming the Emirate's new ruler. One year later, Sheikh Fahad bin Hamad and Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad tried to lead yet another military coup against Qatar's ruler but failed. After the failed coup, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa expelled Sheikh Fahad bin Hamad from the Qatari armed forces and placed Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad under house arrest. In 1997, Hamad bin Khalifa launched the Al Jazeera TV network to become one of the most important news channels in the Middle East and the world. The Qatari news channel did not hesitate to label the deposition of the Muslim Brotherhood's regime in Egypt on July 3, 2013 a military coup, designating President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi as the coup leader. Al Jazeera did not, however, extend this appellation to its own ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa who came to power after ousting his own father. The Third coup (2013) After Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa's accession to power, he appointed his son Jassem bin Khalifa as Crown prince in 1996; however in 2003, under mysterious circumstances, he offered the title to Jassem's brother Tamim instead. Learning from past experience, when Tamim rose to power as Crown Prince, he immediately appointed people loyal to him as Prime Minister Deputies and strove to control the defense and armament files as well as the armed forces. In 2013, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa announced in a brief televised address that he would hand over power to his 33-year old son and Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Khalifa. Many international organizations and political analysts saw what happened in 2013 as a coup and that Hamad had stepped aside because he knew of his son's intention to do away with him as he did with his own father back in 1995. Tamim has not appeared at any public event in the last two weeks, opening the door for speculation as whether or not there will be a fourth coup in Qatar, which would be a new chapter in the country's long history of inter-family depositions.
