Qatar

 I arrived in Mumbai from Qatar last night, and not a day too soon. As Middle-Eastern petrostate absolute monarchies go, Qatar is possibly is benign. It is not a stifling religious fundamentalist state like Saudi Arabia, neither does it have a sordid history of trying to engineer regime-change through aerial bombing (that I know of) like the UAE and (also Saudi Arabia.  It has also given the world A-Jazeera, and punches far above its weight in global diplomatic circles. One has to only compare its profile to Kuwait, which is of similar size and wealth, to appreciate how well its done.That doesn't make it a nice place to visit or live. I did not educate myself about the history of Qatar because the place did not inspire me to do so. I am not saying young countries are destined to be cultural wastelands. But, young countries which are also dicatorships are. When all or most forms of cultural expression need sanction from the authorities who have pots of money to give to artists they approve of, you end up with an arts scene like Qatar's--showy but so sanitized that the only pleasure that it can give you is aesthetic. As this post shows, I am not a culutral critic, and I am sure many people have said what I am saying in far more insightful and eloquent ways. If shopping malls and over-the-top entertainment options like indoor ski slopes are not your thing, chances are you won't enjoy Qatar.