The Kingdom of Bahrain – Security Challenges in the Aftermath of the Arab Spring
Subtitle: An analysis of the course and causes of the political unrest in Bahrain 2011-2012 with an assessment of the societal security issues determining the survival of the Al-Khalifa Regime.
Publisher: University of Leeds
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Leeds, United Kingdom
Format: MA Thesis
Number of pages: 50
Description: ABSTRACT
One of the most significant occurrences in World politics since the collapse of the Soviet Union was the series of changes that sprang up across the Arab World from late 2010 through 2012 and seemed to fan out like a desert sandstorm across many Arab countries of North Africa and the Middle East and which came to be known collectively as “The Arab Spring”. One of the smallest countries impacted by this event was the Kingdom of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf. The course and causes of the political unrest in this small state is examined in detail including its geo-political position as a proxy cockpit for Saudi-Iranian rivalry and the dilemma of the Sunni-Shia divide. Further, the societal security issues upon which stability is dependent are considered in detail, particularly economic factors and the concept of the Rentier state. Derived from the facts and discussion in the study some of the measures the Government of Bahrain could undertake to address the internal security situation are presented for consideration. The conclusion of the study is that the stability of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Al-Khalifa Monarchy can comfortably be expected to remain and retain a fair degree of independence for a long time in to the future, all the more so if the regime can bring itself to address at least some of the more pressing internal security issues highlighted.
Table of contents: title: Contents; title: I.                 Introduction:; title: I.i               Background and reasons for selecting the topic to be studied; title: I.ii              The Arab Spring; title: I.iii             Bahrain and the Arab Spring; title: II.               Bahrain: Political Background; title: II.i             The Shia-Sunni Divide; title: II.ii            The Shia-Sunni Divide and Bahrain’s Saudi-Iran Dilemma; title: III.             Bahrain: Socio-Economic Background; title: III.i            Bahrain and the Rentier Economy; title: III.ii           Population Growth, Unemployment and Economic Diversification; title: IV.             Conclusion:; title: IV.i            Regime Legitimacy; title: IV.ii            Internal Security Issues and Regime Survival; title: V.               Bibliography and References                                                                           51; title: Figure 1:   Distribution of Muslims by Sect (The Sunni-Shia Divide)                            21; title: Figures 2 &3:   Bahrain: Maps                                                                                  49 & 50