Negotiating the Alien Arab: Labor Mobility in the State of Qatar Although much recent scholarship has focused attention on the conditions of non-Arab migrants to the Persian Gulf, the study of Arab migrants to the region has been neglected for several decades. This paper addresses an important gap in the literature on labor migration by focusing on migrant Arab workers in the State of Qatar. Existing ethnographic research, detailing mostly the lives of workers from South and South East Asia, has underlined how nationality, language, and ethnicity have a significant impact on individual migrants’ experiences of living and working in the GCC. In addition, inter-disciplinary research has focused on the system of regional migration governance and processes of labor recruitment and how these shape the migration experience. However, this body of work has not provided insight on the specific experiences of Arab migrants. Given the current levels of political instability in some parts of the Arab world, which may be propelling new streams of Arab workers to seek opportunities in the Gulf States, it is important to re-focus scholarly attention on regional Arab labor mobility. The paper examines Arab-origin migration to Qatar, reviewing how the state has negotiated the entry and control of ‘Alien’ Arabs. The paper examines the evolution and transformation of migration patterns to the country, assesses polices adopted by the state to control the flow of foreigners, and argues that these policies have been an integral part of more general processes of political and economic change in the country. Particular attention is given to scrutinizing how and why Qatar has become more selective and politicized in negotiating labor migration, and how this has impacted on Arab migration. Articles within the Labour Law of Qatar privilege Arab workers, yet the drive for lower-skill workers who are willing to accept lower wages has led to an increasing reliance on migrants from less developed countries further afield. The forces and factors driving regional migration have become more complex over time, and traditional explanations for the motivation, attraction, and selection of migrants are no longer sufficient in the study of migration to the Persian Gulf. Qatar, which in the last decade has emerged as one of the Middle East’s fastest-growing economies, provides a sound case-study for analysis.