Let democracy flourish where there is hope, vision and the will of people who demand it

Geopolitics and Democracy in Bahrain
By: Abbas Bu-Safwan – Published Friday, October 21, 2011 – Al-Akhbar

The Bahraini popular uprising is bound by its local framework and by regional and international factors that guide its direction and may define its outcome. In light of this reality, a more comprehensive approach needs to be taken towards the choices and outcomes that await the current political situation in Bahrain.

The uprising in Bahrain is purely an internal event. It is the manifestation of people’s bitterness toward the ruling dynasty and their monopolization of power. The uprising is merely the translation or embodiment of people’s resentment stemming from a dictatorial regime and from corruption, including the inconsistent implementation of law and the strong hold that security forces have over politics. The regime in Bahrain has demonstrated an increasingly entrenched discrimination against its Shiite citizens. The government has taken steps to change the demographics by illegally offering Bahraini nationality to non-Shiite migrants, though Shia still represent at least two-thirds of the population in the country. This internal tension is at least a century old, and its renewal reflects the depth and longevity of the crisis. Since the 1930s, Bahrainis have demanded an elected parliament and a regime that upholds the law equally for all its citizens.

The geopolitical realities of the small islands of Bahrain may prevent a democracy from ever taking hold. At the very least, the characteristics of the Bahraini ruling system and its rentier economy impede any transition to a democratic regime. The geographic location of Bahrain is a factor that also hinders renovation of the country’s tribal structure. How so?

Bahrain is in the center of a turbulent region, with a history of wars that precedes the establishment of the relatively new state. This region that includes Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries is governed by tribes. Bahrain’s Al Khalifa tribe has controlled political power and the national wealth for the past 230 years. Such regimes don’t tolerate authentic democratic transformations that allow people to effectively participate in the ruling of their country. Moreover, Saudi Arabia considers Bahrain to be its backyard. In other words, it has a real say in Bahraini affairs. When demonstrations spread in Manama between mid-February and March, Saudi Arabia felt that its influence in Bahrain was threatened. It intervened militarily in a crude and unprecedented manner. …more