Surprised this hasn't been talked about much, esp. as that's where CentCom is headquartered for the war:
Qataris Approve First Real Constitution
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:20 p.m. ET
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Qatari voters approved their first real constitution Tuesday -- a leap toward democratic rule in a country where the emir has held absolute power since independence from Britain in 1971.
The constitution was approved in a referendum by 96.6 percent of the voters -- 68,987 to 2,145, with 274 invalid votes, Qatar's Interior Minister, Prince Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, announced at a news conference four hours after the polls had closed.
Crowds of Qatari men celebrated in the streets, honking cars draped in the Qatari flag and photos of the emir and the crown prince.
The draft will become Qatar's first real constitution, replacing a 1972 ``Provisional Political Order'' that outlined only limited government structures and did not lay out voting or other rights.
The constitution envisages a 45-member parliament, of which 30 will be elected in polls where women may stand and vote. The remaining 15 -- as well as the Cabinet -- will be appointed by the emir.
However, legislators will have the right to question Cabinet ministers, enact legislation and vote on the national budget.
Government officials said before the vote that parliamentary elections would be held in 2004.
Government officials were unable to provide a total for the number of eligible voters. Out of Qatar's 800,000 inhabitants, only about 25 percent are citizens.
But the polls appeared busy throughout the day.
Men wearing white robes and headdresses and women in black chadors that exposed only the eyes and hands entered schools and government buildings through separate entrances to cast ballots.
At an elementary school on the outskirts of Doha, the capital of the tiny state, Ali al-Khater, a businessman, said he had read the draft constitution several times and had voted ``yes.''
``Every person hopes for a better future and this constitution is going to help us realize this future,'' al-Khater said.
One last-minute voter, Umm el-Jassim, said she had been busy all day but ``wouldn't have missed it for anything.''
The emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Crown Prince Jassem bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani voted at a polling station erected in the emir's palace.
Qataris first voted in 1999 municipal elections. The advisory Central Municipal Council was re-elected earlier this month.
Women have been able to vote and run in the elections -- a rarity in the conservative Gulf Arab states.
At Qatar University's polling stations, turnout on the female campus was reportedly twice that on the male campus.
― hstencil, Wednesday, 30 April 2003 15:09 (twenty-three years ago)
YESSS - the troops were there as an afteraffect of Gulf War I (corrollary in South Korea - this is why you don't fight wars to a stalemate, and thankfully at least THAT's one policy that's died), at the behest of the Saudi govt. as buffer against Iraq, which routinely made threats of invading through the years (empty threats surely, obv. in retrospect, but still enough to provide the excuse) and I'd assume as support personnel for the no-fly zones, I'm pretty sure it was mainly Air Force and Army personnel stationed there, the only Navy base I can think of in the area is at Bahrain (Millar would know more than me). Even before Khobar Towers (and God I can remember that day) alot of people thought it was a bad idea to have a semi-permanent force based there, I can just about guarantee you some issue of Foreign Affairs from the midnineties has something on this, but if you give your opponent time and an opportunity he will take it, and Hussein did, hence the weapons-inspection dance, which hurt Hussein none but did damage the US by maintaining sanctions (which hurt the Iraqi people more yes yes but brought criticism upon the US and fostered an image of the US 'starving' the Iraqis, nevermind the reality of how those sanctions were supposed to work) and keeping troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, both of which raised resentments against the US (in addition to the routine 'send a message' bombings Clinton undertook, and I still find it odd that almost noone ever notes Clinton dropped more bombs on Iraq than either Bush). One of the primary arguments made for this war (albeit not by the administration) was 'we can't keep troops stationed in SA' -> 'we have to keep troops stationed in SA while Hussein is still in power' -> 'we have to remove Hussein from power'. That said it's a small miracle that this is actually happening - there is no greater force in govt. than inertia.
― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 18:36 (twenty-three years ago)
twenty years pass...