Even “Satan” appears as an “angel of light” – seeing the tyranny beyond the “glitz” of neoliberal exploits

Opposition to the grand prix was fuelled by anger towards the excesses of prestige projects and the squandering of resources

Bahrain’s flashy crony capitalism cannot last
Ala’a Shehabi – Guardian UK, 20 May, 2012

In the Gulf Arab states, opulent hotels with gold-plated toilet handles, shopping malls larger than several football pitches, cloud-reaching skyscrapers, artificial islands visible from space and almost racially segregated gated communities have all been hailed as “miracles” in the scorching deserts.

These are the visible signs of unregulated capitalism: political systems that are in many ways still very traditional are chasing each other along the road to urban ultra-modernity.

Sporting events have been a quintessential part of this development too – from the Formula One grand prix in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, the World Cup in Qatar, to the tennis championships in Dubai. But growth without equity, as highlighted in Bahrain, is a recipe for disaster.

The continued uprising in Bahrain and the recent battle over the grand prix may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back in changing such an agenda. Domestically, the opposition to the Formula One event was not only about an international sporting body providing succour to a repressive regime. It was also a manifestation of anger towards the excesses of prestige projects and the squandering of resources, as well as despair over human rights violations.

Looking ahead, it could be a sign that other status symbols will become battlegrounds for agitation against other Gulf regimes. Qatar – chosen to host the 2022 football World Cup – seems already aware of this and has announced that it will allow trade unions before then.

Another way of viewing the motorsport battle, and the earlier occupation of Pearl Roundabout in Bahrain, is as a contest over public space – with aggrieved citizens seeking to appropriate it.

The government’s control of public space – which symbolises hegemony by a patriarchal ruling family – has been part of “a fundamental strategy of neoliberalism, for it is in [public] space that the positive image of a place worthy of investment is created,” says Marc Owen Jones, a former resident of Bahrain and a doctoral researcher.

This includes the Pearl Monument, which was annihilated to prevent the space being used to challenge the ruling family’s authority, as well as the grand prix, which the ruling family is using to market the country’s “global urbanism”.

The uprising in Bahrain, which began on 14 February last year, has its historical roots in the frenzied development following the oil boom of the 1970s that has led to nearly 20% of the kingdom’s land being reclaimed from the sea. This land, valued at around $40bn in a 2010 parliamentary investigation, is registered directly to members of the ruling family, who have left only 3% of beaches for the public to use. …more