ABSTRACT
Qatar is one of the smallest states in the United Nations (UN) family of nations. The problems of futurology do not trouble its leaders, and neither science nor technology finds a prominent place in its institutions. Yet the future evokes anxieties far more pressing than either genetic surgery or the population explosion. During the past two decades, the rapidly increasing income generated from oil exports has brought new possibilities and opportunities to the people and government of Qatar. Because of this, the events and issues under consideration here are neither dire events that will arise from the exhaustion of natural resources nor the blissful consequences of the acquisition of eternal youth. The fact that one can find in Qatar present-day both a former slave and a woman physicist is indicative of the creative response to changing circumstances and of the rate at which changes occur. The likely futures of Qatar are obviously determined by the present natural and financial resources.
