This paper examines why Qatar has adopted a bold foreign policy and emerged as a major player in the international relations of the Middle East. From a small state in a volatile region, we might expect a passive foreign policy characterized by attempts to avoid perturbing stronger neighbors and great powers. In this regard, Qatar’s foreign policy presents a puzzle. Since Shaykh Hamad bin Khalifa assumed power in 1995, Qatar has adopted a bold foreign policy, underlining its freedom of maneuver and taking controversial stances that have sparked the ire of allies. During the Arab Spring, the trail-blazing support of this tiny oil-rich autocracy for democratic movements in the region has been especially striking. Qatar was the first Arab state to withdraw its ambassador from Syria and led the push within the Arab League to sanction the regime of Bashar Al-Asad; meanwhile, Qatar led the Arab world in recognizing Libya’s National Transitional Council, backed NATO intervention, and supplied weapons to the Libyan rebels. Throughout the Arab Spring, Al-Jazeera (based in Doha and funded by the Qatari government) has played eyewitness to and cheerleader for events unfolding from Tunisia to Yemen. While Qatar’s foreign policy has drawn substantial attention, with assessments of it ranging from “perplexing” to “deliriously ambitious” to “successful,” we lack a satisfactory understanding of the factors driving Doha’s ambition. By focusing on the pursuit of prestige domestically and abroad, this paper will enhance our understanding of Qatari foreign policy and contribute to the field of foreign policy analysis. The politics of prestige enhances our understanding of state behavior where traditional theories of foreign policy falter. Drawing on field research from a year in Qatar (2010-11), this paper theorizes and contextualizes Qatari foreign policy in a way that sharpens our understanding of international relations in the Middle East and beyond.