Qatar was ruled by Bahrain from the 1700s until the mid-1800s, when Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire began vying for control of the peninsula. It was a British protectorate from 1916 until 1971, when it became independent. In the 1980s and 90s Qatar had territorial disputes with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. These disputes were not completely settled until 2001.

During the Persian Gulf War (1991), international coalition forces were deployed on Qatari soil. Palestinians were expelled from Qatar in retaliation for the pro-Iraqi stance of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), but since the war relations with the Palestinians have returned to normal. After the Persian Gulf War, Iraq was still regarded as a threat to Qatar’s oil interests; Qatar signed a defense pact with the United States but also restored relations with Iraq. The present emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, came to power in 1995 after ousting his father. In the late 1990s Sheikh Hamad eased press censorship and promoted ties with Iran and Israel.

Since 2001 Qatar has allowed U.S. use of the Al Udeid air base, and the headquarters for the U.S. invasion of Iraq (2003) were in the country.

The emir has moved steadily to democratize the nation’s government and institute elections. In 2003 voters approved a constitution establishing a largely elected advisory council with the power to pass laws, subject to the emir’s approval; women have the right to vote and hold office.
The constitution was endorsed by the emir in 2004 and came into force in 2005.