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The Egyptian bomber who bombed the Player’s Theater in Doha on March 19, killing one person and wounding several others, gave a wake-up call to a country that seemed untouched by the cycle of terror that has racked its neighbors, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The terrorist incident outside the theater happened despite exceptional security measures taken by Qatar in the last two years to ensure its inhabitants a normal, peaceful life.

Qatari authorities have taken extra security measures to screen people and their belongings as they come into or leave Qatar. Qatari police cars roam the streets of Doha. Many of them are stationed--quite noticeably-- at the numerous traffic circles that define the city’s road system. Also noticeable are security patrols on foot in the fashionable shopping centers where Qataris and foreigners shop, pass their time or relax in a staggering number of Western-style cafes and restaurants.

This act of terrorism could not have come at a more inopportune moment in the country’s development. With its emphasis on economic investment and educational planning, the last thing Qatar needs is a shock, which could scare both Qataris and foreigners and cast doubt on its ambitious plans for the next few years.

Qatar should soon boast one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, due in part to its oil exports, but even more to its natural gas. (Qatar’s goal is to raise the current per capita income of $32,000 to $40,000 by 2008). Qatar is expected to be one of the leading exporters of natural gas in the world in the next few years. Qatar also has grandiose plans to turn itself into an international center for banking, trade and finance, competing with Dubai. To achieve this status, Qatar has eased restrictions on foreign banks interested in working in Qatar.

Today, Qatar resembles a huge construction site. Qatar is building a bridge to connect Qatar to Bahrain, facilitating the flow of people and merchandise from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to Bahrain and vice versa. Qataris have eased restrictions preventing foreigners from buying property in Qatar and are allowing foreigners to invest in their stock exchange. The national carrier, Qatar Airlines, is expanding rapidly, transforming Qatar into a tourist stop between Europe and places like the Maldives and East Asia. Qatar also wants to become an education center in the Persian Gulf with doors open to all. It is building an impressive “Education City” to host a number of newly-established international universities.

Qatar is also undertaking political reforms. Amir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani has issued a new constitution. General elections are planned for the first Shura Council--or parliament. The reforms should provide a political framework for Qatar’s renaissance.

Nonetheless, while this development and reform is going on, some segments of Qatari society show anger and bitterness toward the United States and the West that is typical of other parts of the region. During the time I taught in Qatar from 2001 to 2002, I came in contact with many young students and professors, educated Qataris and even expatriates working in Qatar who expressed sympathy for Usama Bin Ladin and the Afghan regime that supported him. Many expressed anger toward the Americans for toppling the Afghan regime.

A number of Qataris are still angry over the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. They sympathize with the insurgents fighting against the new Iraqi government. These groups could provide recruits for underground terrorists. The Arabic language press is full of articles and stories that exhibit a deep anti-Western and anti-American spirit, often fueled by news coverage and talk shows on Al Jazeera, which is widely watched in Qatar. There is also a considerable amount of anti-American talk in mosques and among religious figures in the country.

The US administration needs to be aware of these simmering sentiments even while Qatari officials give statements and public announcements that are reassuring to the United States. Qatar is critical to US posture in the Gulf region.

What can the Americans do? There is no simple answer. Much of the problem is found beyond Qatar’s borders. But the US administration should support and encourage the political and educational reforms in Qatar, which are precisely the kind of undertakings envisioned in the State Department’s Greater Middle East Initiative.

The US should also encourage better and broader education for mosque preachers to nurture a more moderate Islam. Americans also need to mount a successful campaign to win the hearts and minds of Qataris by showing them US support for positive change in the region. A successful democratic experiment by a popular government in Iraq also will help. So will US attempts to move Israelis and Palestinians toward an end to their conflict.