Qatar battles its image problem – and creates a windfall for PR companies

Qatar’s substantial lobbying clout has been in evidence again, with a flow of contracts for public relations firms and reports of the ruling Al-Thani’s celebrity friends using their influence to promote Doha’s interests.Recent media reports have dragged up the old news that Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, then US secretary of state, was lobbied by former UK prime ministerial first lady Cherie Blair six years ago to meet with Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Misnad. Blair repeatedly pressured Clinton to meet the then emir Sheikh Hamad Al-Thani’s prominent wife, according to emails newly released under the Department of State’s Freedom of Information Act.