Lord Bell asserts importance of Qatar national vision in exclusive Oxford Business Group interview

"Having a national vision is important on several different levels. Firstly, it is important to one's country to help the people who live there understand what their leadership is trying to achieve. Having the support of the people will also enable the leadership to be more capable of actually achieving its goals," he said.

"Secondly, it is important in a regional sense to have a fairly clear view of where a country's place is in the region and how other nations within the region can work together.

"Thirdly, it is important in a global sense, as the world we live in is much more global with the ease of communication, transportation and international business in general."

He said the possession of a national vision enables insight from one country to another and is particularly important for rising nations.
"In an era of globalization, it is important to understand who you're dealing with, negotiating with, or talking to," he said.

"The philosophical attitude that a country has towards itself, the region and the world in which it operates is very important for organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, or any of the bodies responsible for managing and disciplining the global process."

Lord Bell, focusing on the relationship between politics and the media, asserted: "My experience with leaders in this region is that they tend to have very long-term views on their economies and, in most cases, are willing to make the investments and patiently await results and successes for the greater good of the country."

He added: "In my experience and knowledge of Qatar, I view that there is a very strong feeling of a long-term outlook. There is tremendous investment today with this outlook to the horizon and what will come to fruition at some point in the future rather than next year."

The interview with Lord Bell, carried in full in The Report, is one of a series of exclusive interviews with key officials and business leaders in what is considered the most extensive, independent, unbiased and authoritative review of Qatar available.

Rated as the premier guide for foreign direct investment into the country's vibrant economy, The Report is an invaluable guide to the many facets of Qatar, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, political landscape, banking and sectoral developments, and presents a remarkably in depth profile of the country.

OBG is working in collaboration with local partners to compile the research: Qatar National Bank for capital markets and Clyde and Co for legal affairs.

The 200-page publication, with an international distribution of 71,000, is being produced by a team of six OBG analysts based in Doha for six months, who conducted some two hundred interviews with leading political and economic figures.

26% of its subscribers are in energy, 24% in financial institutions, 23% in real estate and construction, 14% in industry, and 10% in IT and telecommunications. 25% of them are in Europe, 21% in GCC and the Middle East, 20% in North America, 15% in Asia, and 13% in North Africa.

Available in print form and online, The Report: Qatar 2008 is part of the range of OBG's publications, which are renowned as leading sources of information on developing and emerging economies around the world.