The Red Velvet Lawyer

Can it Sustain the Success as  Businesses Re-Open? During the last week of June, Qatar saw an increasing decline in new cases.  Qatari officials began to talk about being past the peak of infection.  The contemplated a four phase re-opening .  A partial re-opening began June 15, with precautions put in place to prevent a spike in cases.  July 1 brought Phase 2 of the re-opening, with more shops, mosques, and outdoor venues re-opening.  See my June post for more information about the rules governing the Phase 2 reopening.  Officials stressed that the transition from one stage to anothe r is subject to the cooperation of all members of society and their application of precautionary measures, and the need to adhere to the procedures in place determined by the Council of Ministers.  It advises family members to limit visits to other family members and keep them to no longer than 15 minutes.  As Qatar marked these milestones, a di...

Respecting, But Managing Fear --- Wisdom from Elizabeth Gilbert and Elaine Bailey-Anderson At a time when our already hectic and stressful lives breed chronic anxiety about work and home, we are now facing new fears tied to the global pandemic of COVID-19 . Recently, one of my former coaches from Christine Kain 's UpLevel coaching program offered her insight to managing fear.  It was so great, I asked for permission to share it here.  From Elaine Bailey-Anderson, CoachBrilliant : Whenever things get scary, or I get frightened I write a letter to my fear. Then I burn it to release my attachment to it. I learned this from Elizabeth Gilbert ❤️  She also suggests that if you are feeling extra fearful then give fear a chance to express itself first and be with it - Allow your fear to write a letter to YOU before you write one back.  Take a moment to surrender to your fear and ask it: “What are you actually terrified about, in this s...

A Hero in Qatar's Successful Resistance to the Blockade On June 5, 2017, four neighboring countries --  Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt -- imposed a blockade of land, sea, and air routes to and from Qatar.  In my book chapter , on Qatar's strategic and successful responses to the blockade, I discussed the role of the Hamad Port.  See Paula Marie Young, The Siege of Qatar:  Creating a BATNA that Strengthened the Tiny Country’s Negotiating Power , QATAR: POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ISSUES (Nova Science Pubs. 2019). In that chapter, I said: Access to alternative ports played a bigger role in Qatari planning. Its new Hamad Port, the largest port in the Middle East, opened for what appears to be a soft-launch in December 2016, with an accelerated opening of other facilities at the port shortly after the siege began. Qatar made a QR 27 billion ($7.3 billion) investment in the site. Port officials reported an intent to expand its capacity throu...