The Network of… 2010

The Network of… 2010

Burj Khalifa, MI 4, Wikileaks, World Cup… 2010 has meant a lot of things to Kipp —here is our pick of the people who made 2010 the year it was.

December 27, 2010 3:11 by shafeer

If there is one image Qataris will forever associate with 2010, it will be this picture of a very proud and happy Emir Al Thani and wife Sheikha Moza grinning from ear to ear when the country won the bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Though the tiny Gulf country will have to spend billions to prepare for the event, for now it is only with admiration (and a hint of jealousy) that everyone looks at the man of the moment Emir Hamad Bin Khalifa al Thani. At the tender age of 43, in a bloodless palace coup, the Emir of Qatar deposed his father while the elder was on a visit to Geneva. Calling it the abnormal behavior of an ignorant man, the former emir vowed to return.

But fifteen years on, the changing of the guard seems to have proven a success for the emir and his adoring citizenry. Qatari nationals are the richest folks in the world, banking an approximate $84,000 per head in GDP – nearly double that of America and dwarfing that of the UK, at $35,000. By nearly any measure, the portly emir seems to be doing just about everything right. The Economist regards the dynamic leader as a rock solid success where it counts: business, diplomacy, economics and relationships.

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