‘Drowning in bad publicity’: Has Qatar’s World Cup soft power push backfired?
France24Oct 12, 2022
A former CIA officer allegedly involved in an extensive spying operation on behalf of Qatar ahead of its hosting of the upcoming 2022 World Cup is the subject of an FBI probe, according to an exclusive AP News investigation. His actions reportedly went beyond just sport and resulted in an attempt to influence US policy towards the country.
According to two anonymous officials, the FBI's investigation of Kevin Chalker's work for Qatar focuses on whether he and his company, Global Risk Advisors (GRA), broke laws related to foreign lobbying, surveillance, and exporting sensitive technologies and tradecraft.
Qatar has sought to improve its image and accumulate soft power in hosting the 2022 World Cup. However, soft power only works if it's backed up by good behavior. These influence-meddling revelations, alongside evidence of the mistreatment of construction workers and human rights concerns in the country, mean Qatar has been drowning in bad publicity ahead of the tournament this November.
Qatar has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign of unfair and unfounded criticism since winning the bid to host the World Cup. At first, Qatar sought to engage with the criticism in good faith and dialogue. However, as the campaign of lies and double standards continues, it has reached such a fever pitch that one can't help but wonder whether there's an ulterior motive for these unfounded allegations.