Qatar May Win Big If Libyan Rebels Prevail

Visit the rebel-held territories of Libya, and the influence of Qatar is everywhere. In the rebel capital of Benghazi, soldiers wear Qatari-supplied desert uniforms. A giant billboard of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani can be seen outside rebel headquarters. Souvenir stands sell the white-and-maroon flag of Qatar. Near the frontline city of Misrata, which is bombed daily by Grad missiles launched by government forces, the Qataris have set up a fully equipped field hospital to care for wounded rebels and their families. According to the director of the Misrata airport, Qataris have offered to fly in humanitarian aid and fly out the wounded once NATO gives the go-ahead.

Qatar, a tiny Persian Gulf state that controls one of the largest natural gas fields on earth, is by far the most aggressive Arab state in the struggle to unseat Muammar Qaddafi. While NATO forces led by the French and British run the bombing campaign, Qatari Mirage jets have helped enforce the U.N.-imposed no-fly zone.