The Impact of the Emergence of New Players in the Gas Market on Qatari Economy

During a roundtable discussion Al Jazeera Centre for Studies hosted on 4 April 2018, Steven Wright, professor of international relations at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, maintained that global gas markets are changing swiftly, necessitating that gas exporting countries establish flexible policies.
12 April 2018
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[AlJazeera]

During a roundtable discussion Al Jazeera Centre for Studies hosted on 4 April 2018, Steven Wright, professor of international relations at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, maintained that global gas markets are changing swiftly, which necessitates that gas exporting countries establish flexible policies to keep their financial revenues from plummeting. In his presentation, he mentioned the volume of the liquefied natural gas that Qatar exports and discussed the political and geopolitical conditions of the countries and regions it exports to. Wright also shed light on Qatar’s new competitors, noting that inflexible long-term export contracts may not endure for long. In addition, he recommended that Qatar explore new markets, especially those of India, Taiwan and Pakistan instead of older markets like those of South Korea, Japan and China whose demands for gas are gradually decreasing. Furthermore, Wright suggested the possibility of considering a new monetary policy whether through loans or issuing bonds, creating a competitive advantage for Qatari gas without incurring any additional burdens to the state’s budget.