As we all know the 'Arab Spring,' as it has been dubbed by the media, sparked major protests in different parts of the Arab world over the last two years. Bahrain has been no exception. If you do not know much about Bahrain here are a few facts:
1) British protectorate until it gained independence in 1971, located in the Gulf
2) the capital is Manama
3) Constitutional monarchy (the al-Khalifa family basically rules every aspect of the government)
4) political parties prohibited BUT political societies allowed since 2005
5) constantly plays a balancing act in foreign policy (esp. with Saudi Arabia and the U.S.)
6) Bahraini (46%) non - Bahraini (54%) (according to 2011 census)
Biggest problem (right now): the Sunni minority and the Shia majority. Basically, the government and the few elites in the country are Sunni and since the 1990's there have been minor protests by Shia to push for reforms against discriminatory practices affecting them. Today, these issues still continue despite efforts by the government in the past.
The opposition has been growing in Bahrain. Recently they have formed a coalition in order to start talks with the government in order to implement a new round of reforms. This is deemed a 'national dialogue' and last took place in 2011 after several protests occurred in the country. However, it resulted in the opposition walking out. Now the opposition wants any recommendations or changes to be placed into a referendum for the country to vote on, hoping this will opt for quicker and more comprehensive change.
A spokesman hoped the event "will represent new achievements and add value to the reforms projects and democracy in Bahrain."
The biggest fear for the Sunnis : a more democratic government with a stronger Shia base. This correlates with another fear of the current Bahrain administration (and Saudi Arabia) - Iran. The question arises that if a larger Shia majority is implemented in the government, will Iran become a dangerous ally and the United States a new foe?
And to be honest, if this is the case, the US would try everything to prevent such a "disaster." Or is the efforts of even the U.S. not enough to stop such a situation? First, let's just see if the 'national dialogue' carries through and we can take it from there...
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/flagtemplate_ba.html
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/8f91e27a-737f-11e2-9e92-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F8f91e27a-737f-11e2-9e92-00144feabdc0.html&_i_referer=#axzz2KXtm7OcP
This is a really interesting issue. For many years, Sunni–Shia relations have been marked by both cooperation and conflict; and tensions between communities definitely intensify during power struggles, such as the recent Bahraini uprising. These conflicts and tensions hault any major progress from happening for the country so that they are stuck in a vulnerable place. It will be interesting to see if a larger Shia majority is implemented in the government, if Iran will become a dangerous ally and the United States become a new foe.
ReplyDeleteI hope this national dialogue carries through but either way there will be consequences on the decisions that are made.