Qatar is enjoying a period of remarkable economic growth, fueled by its immense reserves of oil and gas and the visionary leadership by its Emir, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Although energy remains the centerpiece of Qatar's economy, government policies are increasingly focused on economic diversification. Today, Qatar boasts a manufacturing sector that includes plastics, paper, chemicals and construction materials. The country is also expanding rapidly as a tourist site, with a $15 billion tourism initiative including the construction of a 60 million-passenger airport and 2,500 new hotel rooms. Qatar hosted the 2006 Asian Games, and plans to host other large sporting events as well as international public and private sector conventions.

Qatar's economic stability and security are enhanced and protected by the country's strong alliance with the U.S.A. and the Free Trade Agreement signed between the two countries in 2003. Further evidence of this close relationship is the establishment of the U.S. Central Command Headquarters in Qatar, and the development of campuses at Qatar's Education City by such prestigious U.S. universities as the Weill-Cornell Medical College, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Georgetown University.

A number of International companies have opened offices in Qatar, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, and Anadarko, RAND, Microsoft, PricewaterhouseCoopers, McKinsey, Deloitte Touche, Ernst & Young, and Bechtel.

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