Bahrain has been playing an important role in the international affairs and therefore there are numerous articles about its activity in the magazines such as The Economist and The World Affairs Journal. There are also databases with the official statistics provided by the World Bank and Bahrain Central Informatics Organization. What is more, the Google Scholar search engine provides the links to the academic articles about Bahrain and its policies.
Bahrain cannot be associated with the democracy. According to the Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations (2007), Bahrain has been governed by the Khalifa family since 1782. In 1971 Bahrain declared its independence and in 2002 it became a constitutional hereditary monarchy. Nevertheless, there is the National Assembly that consists of two houses. 40 members of Chamber of Deputies are elected by the people for a four-year term. The Consultative Council (the second chamber) also consists of 40 members and is appointed by the king. Political parties are prohibited in Bahrain. Instead, the political societies and forums may participate in the political life of the country. In 2011, there were the Shiite-led anti-regime protests that were brutally suppressed (Taylor). Despite the new constitution that was adopted in 2002, there are not many chances that there will be successful and painless transition to the democracy from the closed authoritarian regime (Karakoc). The Arab countries of the Gulf support each other politically and economically.
Bahrain is very active in terms of the foreign affairs and is usually in the opposition to Iran and Iraq. Bahrain provides the base to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet and receives the military support from the U.S. Government (Shanker & Goodman). Bahrain’s main political allies are the Arab countries that are led by Saudi Arabia. These countries have common political goals and have effectively applied more or less similar methods in the foreign relations especially against Syria, Iran and Iraq for long time.
Works Cited
Karakoc, J. Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Before and After the Arab Uprisings.
Palgrave McMillan. 2015. Web. 18 January 2016
Shanker, T., Goodman, D. Pentagon Watching Unrest in Bahrain. The New York Times. 17
Taylor, A. The Bahraini Uprising, 4 Years Later. The Atlantic. 21 January 2015. Web. 18
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations. Bahrain. 2007. Web. 18 January 2016
World Bank. Gulf Cooperation Council. 2015. Web. 18 January 2016
