Qatar is slowly coming in from the cold after international pressure forced it to rein in its independent streak.

President Barack Obama welcomed Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the White House for the first time in February after the gas-rich micro-state began to moderate its support for Islamists across the region. The president hailed the young emir for joining the coalition against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) while endorsing his calls for a democratic future in Egypt and the Palestinian territories.

"What we agree with," Obama told reporters after the meeting, "is that if our two countries are communicating frankly and constructively, and pursuing common strategies, that we can be a force for good for the entire region and for a vision of a Middle East that is democratic, that is prosperous, that is tolerant, that is representative of all peoples, and that is a force for good around the world."

The emir returned the favor two months later, when he was one of only two leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to personally attend the president's GCC summit at Camp David. Participants came away with the promise of beefed-up US military support against Iran and a "renewed commitment to a concept of a Gulf-wide ballistic missile defense capability."