SEEING SECURITY: SOCIETAL SECURITIZATION IN QATAR A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Government By Jennifer Carol Heeg, M.A. Washington, D.C. March 2, 2010 Copyright 2010 by Jennifer Carol Heeg All Rights Reserved i SEEING SECURITY: SOCIETAL SECURITIZATION IN THE GULF Jennifer Carol Heeg, M.A. Dissertation Advisor: Anthony Clark Arend, Ph.D. ABSTRACT This dissertation applies securitization theory to Qatari society, and develops a new regime type, the ―laissez faire autocracy.‖ Qatari society is securitized against the constructed threats of Western influence and South Asian migrant labor. Four advances to securitization theory are made in this non-Western, non-democratic context. First, this project deconstructs Western-centric notions of ―strong‖ and ―weak‖ states in the context of securitization. Second, securitization theory‘s privileging of the speech-act is subsumed into a larger discussion of action, because in states without full freedom of speech, actions often do speak louder than words. Third, the case study is an example of institutionalized securitization, because rigid ethnic/tribal conceptions of ―Qatari society‖ have led to a politics of exclusion with regards to migration and outside influence. Fourth and finally, securitization theory‘s focus on decision-making and audience is called into question; the power of decision-making is purposely vague in a laissez faire autocracy, and securitization is highly intersubjective. At a policy level, an understanding of society in Qatar as securitized, and informing the perceptions of migrant labor and Western ideas as the major security threats in the Gulf region, should inform policy alternatives for Gulf states and Western democracies. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation could never have been completed without the assistance of Andrew Gardner, who provided me with a crash course in Gulf anthropology. His cooperation and feedback throughout the project was selfless, and he is a truly generous scholar and person. Uday Rosario has also been particularly helpful in my research in both Doha and Kerala; he has shared with me his deep knowledge of and passion for migrant laborers in the Gulf. Both Andrew and Uday allowed me to tag along on their visits to the Industrial Area, for which I am extremely grateful. I am deeply indebted to my primary adviser, Tony Arend, and my committee: Mehran Kamrava, Kate McNamara, and my friend and mentor Laura Sjoberg. Gary Johnson and Len Gambrell‘s faith in me early on in my education, and their passing on of the travel bug, was important in my choice to pursue graduate work in international politics. My employers at Texas A&M at Qatar, especially Todd Kent, have been supportive and patient in the final two years of the dissertation process. I am grateful to Lene Hansen and Claire Wilkinson, both of whom have been extremely thoughtful in their feedback, which has substantively improved this dissertation. Jenny Lobasz and Lauren Wilcox have provided excellent feedback on this and multiple other projects. Tatiana Mollazadeh kept my paperwork in order in Washington while I have spent these years abroad, and has made sure that I never missed a deadline thanks to her careful eye. Finally, I‘d like to thank the Department of Government at Georgetown University—Georgetown Forever—for giving me the opportunity to live and study in Washington, DC, and the Gulf region. iii This dissertation is dedicated to my family: For Laura, Sara, and my parents (Mum and Pa)… I could never have made this journey without your love and unconditional support. And to the builders of Doha: It is my hope that this project shines some light on your daily experiences, and provides suggestions for real change. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER ONE: THE COPENHAGEN SCHOOL AND SECURITIZATION............... 9 1.1 Critical security studies ............................................................................................. 9 1.2 The Copenhagen School of critical security studies .............................................. 13 1.2a Security sectors ...................................................................................................... 16 1.2b Securitization ......................................................................................................... 19 1.3 Theoretical advances of this dissertation ............................................................... 21 1.3a Rethinking Western definitions: ―strong,‖ ―society,‖ ―sovereign‖ ....................... 21 1.3b Incorporating action and discourse ....................................................................... 24 1.3c Institutionalized securitization............................................................................... 28 1.3d Focus on decisionmaking and audience ................................................................ 30 CHAPTER TWO: GULF STATES, SOCIETIES, AND APPROPRIATE METHODS FOR STUDY .................................................................................................................... 35 2.1 Literature on the Gulf .............................................................................................. 35 2.1a. The ―modern classics‖ .......................................................................................... 35 2.1b. Recent literature ................................................................................................... 40 2.2 Recent History in Qatar ........................................................................................... 41 2.3 Defining the Qatari state ......................................................................................... 45 2.3a Rentier states ......................................................................................................... 46 2.3b Sultanistic states .................................................................................................... 49 2.3c Stable authoritarian regimes .................................................................................. 51 2.3d A new regime type: laissez faire autocracy ........................................................... 53 2.4 Qatari Society: Modern, Tribal, Securitized ........................................................... 58 2.5 Methodology ........................................................................................................... 62 2.5a Discourse and its difficulties ................................................................................. 68 2.5b Toward a ―Visual Political Science‖? ................................................................... 72 2.5c Unobtrusive Methods ............................................................................................ 75 v 2.5d Multi-sited Ethnography ....................................................................................... 77 CHAPTER THREE: QATARI, GULF, AND ARAB RELATIONS ............................... 81 3.1 Intra-Qatari Relations .............................................................................................. 85 3.2 The Making of the Qatari Identity........................................................................... 97 3.2a Census.................................................................................................................... 98 3.2b Map...................................................................................................................... 109 3.2c Museum ............................................................................................................... 112 3.3 Relations between Qataris and Other Arabs ......................................................... 121 3.3a Qatari-Gulf Arab Relations ................................................................................. 121 3.3b Qatari-Non Gulf Arab Relations ......................................................................... 125 3.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 133 CHAPTER FOUR: ―WESTERN‖ THREATS TO QATARI SOCIETY ....................... 135 4.1 Spatial separation .................................................................................................. 140 4.1a Residence patterns ............................................................................................... 140 4.1b Education City (segregation of American education) ......................................... 145 4.2 English language ................................................................................................... 147 4.3 Alcohol .................................................................................................................. 151 4.3a Garvey‘s European Family Club ......................................................................... 156 4.3b The Rugby Club .................................................................................................. 157 4.3c Hotel Bars ............................................................................................................ 158 4.4 Technology ............................................................................................................ 159 4.4a Mobile Phones ....................................................................................................