diplomacy which i will mention in a moment it was initially motivated by a survival strategy when sheikh hamad khalifa came to power in 1995. there was an almost irrational fear that qatar would be gobbled up. it would be trampled on over wealth by saudi arabia or by developments. qatar engaged in an incredibly hyperactive diplomacy to ensure its survival and then they realize that it wasn't survival that they needed to worry about, it was getting a place secure on the global map and then building on that position within the global map to enhance qatar's local position within the global community. there is a well-defined vision that is being pursued with unmatched passion in qatar. but also, important within the qatari political calculus is what might be called high modernism, this incredibly at give and robust pursuit of modernity however defined, defined by the government. the way that the government of the qatari state defines modernity is through construction. we see that passage that i read whereby actively doha's geography is drawing urban landscape is being reconfigured through the building of