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Will Qatar Always Be Rich?

Natural gas has made Doha wildly prosperous, but can it last in the era of climate change?

By , a deputy editor at Foreign Policy.
Workers are seen in Doha, Qatar.
Workers are seen in Doha, Qatar.
Workers are backdropped by the skyline of Doha, Qatar, as they walk along a seafront promenade on Nov. 17. MARIANA SUAREZ/AFP via Getty Images

This week, Qatar will host the final matches of the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament. The Middle Eastern emirate spent huge amounts of money on the event—$220 billion, by some estimates. But as a public relations exercise, that spending may have been wasted: Qatar has drawn widespread criticism for alleged corruption involved in winning hosting rights in the first place and the apparent mistreatment of guest workers who built the stadiums and infrastructure.

Cameron Abadi is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @CameronAbadi

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