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Episode details

World Service,06 Jul 2017,23 mins

What's So Special About Qatar?

The Inquiry

Available for over a year

The tiny state behind a global diplomatic feud. Qatar's landmass is so small it could fit into the UK 20 times over. Its citizen population is just a few hundred thousand. Yet this desert country finds itself at the centre of a geopolitical dispute, with its powerful neighbour Saudi Arabia leading a blockade against it and President Donald Trump firing off critical Tweets. So how did this bantam-weight state end up slogging it out with the world's heavyweights? In other words, what's so special about Qatar? Presenter: James Fletcher Producer: Simon Maybin and Sarah Shebbeare (image: Doha city skyline, with armoured vehicles, Qatar. Credit: Karim Jaafar/Getty images)

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