The bad news for Saudi Arabia is that what's happening in Qatar is also starting to happen in the United Arab Emirates, too. I think Qatar and the UAE realize that the oil tap ain't going to last forever and they need to revinvent themselves to be economically relevant in the 21st Century. Already, the UAE has invested heavily to become a major trading center; both Abu Dhabi and Dubai are major ports, and Sharjah has become one of the largest air cargo airports in the world.
No wonder the Saudis are concerned; the Arab brethern in the Persian Gulf are thumbing their noses at Saudi Arabia, and the Iranians could sign big deals to ship out oil from the Caspian Sea and from the post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, which could really put the hurt on Saudi Arabia.