The scope of the joint

Handy dandy foreign correspondent John here. The scope of this joint is more more more than I was prepared for - the "joint" being the whole country of course. It's hard to describe it, which I guess is why we don't have a better idea about Qatar in America and what's happening here.

Here's a hint - the Qatari's have placed a bid for the 2022 (I think that's the right year) Olympics, and from the looks of things I wouldn't be surprised if they get them. The raw scale and number of facilities amaze me. There are stadiums and sports venues everywhere you look. That is if you can see past the dozens of brand new skyscrapers. And the architecture is GOOD. And the shear amount of commerce going on boggles me.

But it's what's underneath the shiny stuff that gets me the most. Yes, there is mucho dinero - as one mild skeptic put it yesterday "look what money can do." But it's more than money. It's vision. And discipline. Diversify the economy so when the gas is gone there is still relevancy. Put world sports on center stage so the world will come and see. Educate your people and the people around you so there is enlightenment.

Hell, if it were me I'd sit on all that money, drink good beer and eat cheetos until my arteries gave out. And don't get me wrong - it's pretty clear the Sheiks enjoy their fair share of the cheetos.

but Leadership here is "paying it forward" to create a metamorphosis of the the country into something meaningful. Something lasting. Yes, there are elements of it that aren't warm and fuzzy - huge numbers of immigrant workers for starters, and as you might imagine a big chunk of the Qatari population is skeptical of all the sudden change, and resistant. And let's don't forget we're in a religiously conservative Muslim autocracy. But ultimately this country is on the path to a better place, and that's pretty cool. Wish my peeps were all here to see it.

XOXOXO