The staff report for Qatar’s 2009 Article IV Consultation describes economic development and policies. The underlying strength of the economy derived from Qatar’s hydrocarbon revenues, and timely and decisive intervention by the government in the banking system has helped to limit the impact of the global crisis and maintain financial stability. A cornerstone of Qatar’s strategy is commitment to diversify the economy by building related industries around the full liquefied natural gas value-chain and linking upstream, midstream, and downstream components.