Georgetown economist to speak on impact of blockade

In a public talk titled ‘The Blockade Against Qatar: A Blessing in Disguise?’, to be held at the Qatar National Library at 6pm tomorrow, Professor Alexis Antoniades, Georgetown University in Qatar’s (GU-Q) director of International Economics, will analyse the impact the blockade had on Qatar and discuss the sources of the country’s remarkable perseverance two years on.In his lecture, Dr Antoniades will lay out the conclusions of his recent study on the impact the blockade had on Qatar’s strategic policy formation. The study builds on a UREP project done in collaboration with GU-Q senior student Rafia al-Jassim and associate director of Strategy at the Qatar Financial Centre Authority, Khalique Gharatkar. “The research was motivated by two fundamental questions,” explains Dr Antoniades. “We asked, what were the policy responses implemented by the State of Qatar to mitigate the cost of the blockade, and how exactly had these new policies turned the blockade into a blessing.”The study provides the “first in-depth examination” of the impact the blockade had on Qatar’s economy and reviews the policy responses that followed, a GU-Q said in a statement. In particular, Dr Antoniades and his team consider how the policies that have emerged since complemented or deviated from past policies and practices and evaluate whether they have in fact brought long-term benefits to the country, benefits that perhaps could not have been realised had the blockade not taken place.“This is the first study to provide both a meticulous documentation of the policy responses that followed the blockade and an in-depth analysis of its impact,” said Dr Antoniades.The QNL presentation by Dr Antoniades, a 10-year veteran of the Qatari economy who frequently advises the leaderships of both private and public institutions, promises to be a “very exciting, insightful and candid event that will be of interest to a very diverse audience”, the statement adds.Registration for the event is available on the QNL website, or at https://events.qnl.qa/attend/xdkaP