In September 2008, five teenagers – a Qatari, an Iraqi, a Syrian-Armenian, a Pakistani, and an Iranian – journeyed from Washington, DC to the Middle East to join teens from around the world in an intensely competitive if somewhat arcane annual ritual: the World Schools Debating Championships. Well aware that their region is associated, in Western minds, with oil, money, and jihad, they are determined to show that they are not closed-minded extremists. They are also determined to win. They are charismatic, intelligent, global teens with strong views, immense curiosity, and boundless ambition, which – for ten intense weeks – they direct towards mastering the arcane strategies of British parliamentary debate. TEAM QATAR follows them on this unusual journey. Quirky and endearing, entertaining and informative, this small story offers a window onto the rapidly growing global culture of the Arab world and its relation to the West.