The players - resources on key people and personalities in Bahrain.
Issues and ideas - a selection of articles from GSN's more recent history.
Perspectives: from the GSN archive - articles from GSN's extensive database.
The Bahrain government and other notables
A listing of the cabinet, key members of the ruling family and other notable players
Published November 2008.
Download the PDF
Al-Khalifa family tree
A simplified family tree showing the line of succession
Published August 2008. Download the PDF
Sunni and Shia machine politicians seek to keep a balance in Bahrain
Bahrain’s legally registered political groups are working to shore up their vote and persuade their constituencies they remain worthy of support ahead of National Assembly and municipal elections scheduled for this year, probably November. Much attention has been paid to parties supported by the Shia majority, led by Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, which holds 17 of the 40 Majlis Al-Nawab (Chamber of Deputies) seats (GSN 874/7, 870/1, 846/4, 812/6, 799/3, 770/1).
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. 
more
Mohammed Bin Salman: Death
King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa has received condolences on the death of his uncle, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.
Issue 865, 20 November 2009. more
Crown Prince Salman calls for engagement with Israeli media
Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa in July wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post calling for Arab leaders to talk to Israeli media. “We as Arabs have not done enough to communicate directly with the people of Israel,” he said.
Issue 859, 7 August 2009. more
Mushaima seized in Bahrain crackdown
Exasperated by Haq’s persistent campaigning, the authorities arrested the extra-parliamentary opposition group’s president Hassan Mushaima, human rights commission head Abdeljalil Al-Singace and outspoken Shiite scholar Mohammed Habib Almuqdad on the night of 25-26 January. Al-Singace was released after 24 hours but remains on bail and is subject to a travel ban. Mushaima and Almuqdad remained in solitary confinement, and were denied contact with their families or lawyers, as GSN went to press.
Issue 846, 30 January 2009. more
Hamad restores son to centre-stage in Bahrain power struggle
Heir apparent Prince Salman has been given reinforced powers over defence and the economy in a very public assertion of his authority over veteran conservative Sheikh Khalifa’s ministerial team.
Issue 821, 21 January 2008. more
I’m back, signals Sheikh Khalifa
Business-oriented, conservative and a subtle manipulator of the levers of power, the veteran prime minister has shown that he still counts at the centre of Bahraini decision-making.
Issue 819, 7 December 2007. more
TOP
Haq official charged
Spokesman for the Haq political rights movement Abdeljalil Al-Singace has been charged with attempting to overthrow the government.
Issue 884, 3 September 2010. more
No truce in sight for Bahrain as the government confronts dissidents ahead of elections
There is no sign of a let-up – or of an alleged plot to disrupt upcoming elections – as the authorities deploy mass arrests and pressure on the media to try to bring protests under control
Issue 883, 27 August 2010. more
Moody’s downgrade
Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded Bahrain’s sovereign rating, saying a faster rise in government spending than in non-oil revenue raised concerns over financial flexibility and economic growth.
Issue 883, 27 August 2010. more
Bahraini politicians gear up for polls
There is growing concern over whether a new parliament will find a way to reinvigorate peaceful constitutional opposition at a time of pressure on the streets
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Bahrain unrest increases as police murder episode still rankles
Growing youth unrest on the streets is a sign of the tensions that are building beyond the conventional political scene.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
BMI Bank appoints new chief executive
BMI Bank has appointed Jamal Al-Hazeem as chief executive. Al-Hazeem’s appointment, announced on 7 July, follows the resignation of group chief executive Andrew Bainbridge, who joined in 2007 but resigned just two months after his promotion to head the group.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Risk management report
Positive noises about Tehran, talking up possible gas deal
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Friendship Bridge mega-project ‘cancelled’
Rising tensions between the two neighbours and complications involving Saudi Arabia, rather than any financial or technical issues, may have led to the estimated $4.5bn Friendship Bridge between Bahrain and Qatar being cancelled, GSN was told – although financial strains were also apparent in the mega-project.
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
New Bahrain Citibank chief
Citigroup has appointed Mazin Manna as its Bahrain chief executive, replacing Mayank Malik.
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
United Gulf to sell stake in Tunis International
Bahrain-based investment bank United Gulf Bank plans to sell a stake in Tunis International Bank to Burgan Bank of Kuwait as part of a plan to dispose of stakes in four banks for $725m.
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
Bahrain’s leftists struggle to usurp Al-Wefaq and demonstrate independence from government
The redrawing of constituency boundaries is among a number of complicating factors as opposition parties compete for disenchanted voters.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Amnesty targets foreign labour
Bahrain has made another attempt to curb migrant labour by offering an amnesty to workers – particularly street vendors – who have overstayed their visas or are working illegally. The amnesty, launched in late May, is available only to those who are willing to return to their home country and will not apply to those already under investigation for visa breaches.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Saudi mediation cools tensions in Middle Gulf
Recent tensions between Manama and Doha are forecast to cool following reported mediation efforts by the Saudis. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad on 27 May rang Saudi King Abdullah to thank him for helping to appoint a new Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) head, a rotating post. Sheikh Hamad also rang Bahrain’s King Hamad to praise him for accepting the Saudi initiative. Qatari premier and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani was in Riyadh for talks with King Abdullah on 21 May.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Navy base expansion
A five-year, $580m project will more than double the size of US Navy base ‘Naval Support Activity Bahrain’ by 2015. Expansion of the base, which is home to Naval Forces Central Command and headquarters of 5th Fleet, began on 26 May with a groundbreaking ceremony.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Calls for security agreements with Iran
A senior Bahraini official has asked for security agreements with Iran to be implemented.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Another day another GCC maritime spat
The shooting of Bahraini fisherman Adel Ali Mohammed by Qatar’s Coasts and Borders Security Department has once more highlighted tensions within the Gulf Co-operation Council region over maritime borders. It has also sparked debate in Bahrain over the impact that reclamation work is having on the local fishing industry.
Issue 877, 21 May 2010. more
Sunni and Shia machine politicians seek to keep a balance in Bahrain
Bahrain’s legally registered political groups are working to shore up their vote and persuade their constituencies they remain worthy of support ahead of National Assembly and municipal elections scheduled for this year, probably November. Much attention has been paid to parties supported by the Shia majority, led by Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, which holds 17 of the 40 Majlis Al-Nawab (Chamber of Deputies) seats (GSN 874/7, 870/1, 846/4, 812/6, 799/3, 770/1).
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
Challenges from all sides in election year Bahrain
Political leaders still believe parliamentary seats are worth fighting for, but a disenchanted public seems less convinced by the limited democracy established by King Hamad
Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
Investcorp board
Bahrain-based asset management firm Investcorp has named Sheikh Mohammed Bin Isa Al-Khalifa as a director.
Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
Opposition faces uphill battle, energy sector investment aims to boost economy
Risk Management report
Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
Gulf Finance House debt restructuring deal
Another star of the Gulf’s credit-fuelled boom years, Gulf Finance House (GFH) has reached agreement with creditors to restructure its debt but has been further downgraded by ratings agencies. As the debt deal was announced, Standard and Poor’s lowered GFH to its SD level, considering the deal – dubbed a “partial debt maturity extension” – a “distressed exchange” of two debt instruments. GFH made a loss of $728m in 2009.
Issue 872, 5 March 2010. more
Bahrain seeks to build affluence for its national ‘employees of choice’
Bahrain’s ongoing labour market reforms are attracting increasing attention from the media and policymakers in neighbouring Gulf Co-operation Council countries. In a region where expatriates account for over 50% of the labour force – more than 90% in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates – increasing national employment is seen as a policy priority.
Issue 872, 5 March 2010. more
HRW details torture claim
The government has returned to the practice of ill treating detainees that defined its reputation until the end of the 1990s, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW). Based on interviews with former detainees and others, as well as a review of government documents, Torture Redux: the revival of physical coercion during interrogations in Bahrain* said the reversion to past practices since end-2007 had come amid an increase in political tensions between the majority Shia community and Sunni-dominated government of King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa.
Issue 871, 12 February 2010. more
GFH repays some debt but faces possible legal suit
Lawyers for businessman Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Suwaidi have said that his case against Gulf Finance House chairman Essam Janahi will be heard by Bahrain’s Court of Cassation.
Issue 871, 12 February 2010. more
Bahrain opposition under pressure as government gains in confidence, tensions rise on the streets
King Hamad’s administration is seeking to portray the island kingdom as committed to reform despite growing sectarianism and opposition complaints about transparency shortfalls
Issue 870, 29 January 2010. more
Manama government accused of continued anti-Shia discrimination
Despite high levels of domestic unemployment, the Bahrain government is continuing to recruit foreign Sunnis to a wide range of posts in the public services. Opposition sources even accuse the authorities of giving preference to Egyptian, Sudanese and Jordanian doctors, teachers and nurses ahead of locals.
Issue 870, 29 January 2010. more
Elections will turn on the heat, government is determined to stamp out corruption
Risk management report, Issue 869, 15 January 2010 more
Institutions suffer fall-out from Dubai debt crisis, Al-Khalifas vie for influence
Risk management report, Issue 868, 18 December 2009. more
Mohammed Bin Salman: Death
King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa has received condolences on the death of his uncle, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.
Issue 865, 20 November 2009. more
Al-Wefaq caught between clever government and growing opposition as electioneering begins
The mainstream Shia parliamentary opposition appears to have become sidetracked by marginal and sectarian issues, and is now caught between a tactically astute government and vigorous rivals
Issue 862. 9 October 2009.more
Risk management report
Analysts look to 2010 elections as new opposition groups form
Issue 862. 9 October 2009. more
First Energy Bank: BD50m investment in IWPP
Bahrain-based First Energy Bank (FEB) has acquired a 9% stake in the Al-Dur Independent Water and Power Production project for BD50m. The $2.2bn Al-Dur project, located on the south-east coast, is scheduled to be fully operational by 2011 to produce 1,234MW of power and 48m gallons of water.
Issue 861, 25 September 2009. more
Batelco fined by regulator for sector monopoly
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has fined state-owned Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) for preventing other operators accessing the country’s international data lines.
Issue 861, 25 September 2009. more
Al-Wefaq rejects Al-Houthi collusion accusations
A conservative member of the National Assembly, Jassim Al-Saidi, has accused Shia opposition party Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society of meddling in internal Yemeni affairs.
Issue 860, 11 September 2009. more
Crown Prince Salman calls for engagement with Israeli media
Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa in July wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post calling for Arab leaders to talk to Israeli media. “We as Arabs have not done enough to communicate directly with the people of Israel,” he said.
Issue 859, 7 August 2009. more
A jihadist presence in Bahrain
Like Yemen, the militant threat in Bahrain is intimately linked to Saudi Arabia. This was underlined by recent attempts to secure the extradition of three Bahrainis being held in Saudi Arabia on terrorism charges. Bahrain’s Al-Adala group (National Justice Movement) and National Detainees Committee are demanding the release of the men.
Issue 858, 24 July 2009.more
Tough choices of tactics and loyalty for Mushaima
Charismatic opposition leader Hassan Mushaima is weighing up the options for future campaigning as he continues to debate whether to join the cleric Sheikh Abdeljalil Al-Mukhdad and 1990s protest leader Abdelwahab Hussain at the head of a new Shia Islamist movement (GSN 851/5, 846/4).
Issue 857, 10 July 2009. more
Risk management report
GSN Risk Grade — C/3: Bahrainis make unofficial visit to Israel, financial services remain relatively strong
Issue 857, 10 July 2009. more
Abdullah woos the UAE after central bank spat highlights lack of trust in the GCC
Rarely do GCC disputes get more public, and it will take more than warm words from Riyadh to win back the Al-Nahyan into the currency union fold. For Abu Dhabi, bank location is the deal-breaker.
Issue 854, 29 May 2009. more
Bahrain to spend $20bn for energy sector boost
According to Oil and Gas Affairs Minister and National Oil and Gas Authority chairman Abdulhussain Mirza more than $20bn will be spent in the next 20 years on developing Bahrain’s oil and gas sector.
Issue 854, 29 May 2009. more
Field development agreement with Mubadala and Oxy
Abu Dhabi government-owned Mubadala Development Company and New York Stock Exchange-listed Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy) have signed a development and production-sharing agreement with the National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga) to develop the onshore Awali oil field, renamed the Bahrain field.
Issue 852, 1 May 2009. more
Mass release buys time for Hamad, but new opposition movement will renew the challenge
Bahrain’s King has earned a breathing space, but only real concessions can defuse the impact of a soon to be launched extra-parliamentary alliance with political and religious appeal.
Tension has briefly eased in Bahrain, following the surprise release of 178 prisoners, including Haq leader Hassan Mushaima (GSN 846/4). But King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa will have to move quickly to capitalise on the mood of goodwill, if he is not to be caught out once more by the extra-parliamentary opposition, which is preparing to launch a “new movement” that will have a powerful appeal to young Shiites.
Issue 851, 17 April 2009. more
Also see Issue 851, 17 April 2009: Al-Wefaq outflanked by potential allies
Risk management report
GSN Risk Grade — C/3: Crackdown on opponents reflects unease at the top as economy weathers storm
Also see Issue 851, 17 April 2009: more
Budget approved
Bahrain’s parliament has approved the government’s 2009 and 2010 budget, ending a stalemate that lasted several months over demands for higher social spending. MPs were asking the government to continue paying a monthly inflation allowance of BD50 to Bahraini families, which the cabinet approved last week.
Issue 850, 27 March 2009. more
Mushaima presses Al-Wefaq to stiffen its spine
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society and Haq, Bahrain’s two largest parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition movements, have engaged in renewed talks about a potential joint strategy, as the 2010 elections approach. Haq leader Hassan Mushaima continues to argue that now is not the time to back down over a potential election boycott.
Issue 845, 16 January 2009. more
Also see Issue 846, 30 January 2009. Mushaima seized in Bahrain crackdown
Risk management report
GSN Risk Grade — C/3: Communal tensions rise as growth is forecast to decline
Issue 843, 19 December 2008. more
Bahrain/Saudi Arabia: Pipeline shows relations are good
The recent announcement by Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) chief executive Abdelkarim Al-Sayed that Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were looking to expand an oil pipeline connecting the two countries to 350,000 b/d from 235,000 b/d signals that relations have improved since the spat in 2004 – which was thought to be over Bahrain’s decision to sign a free trade agreement with the United States (GSN 747/1).
Issue 841, 21 November 2008. more
Violence points to confrontation
Street violence flared in Bahrain during late September and October, leading to another major security hunt for a group of Shia protestors who were allegedly involved in a serious assault on three men. The crowd threw a Molotov cocktail at a car that contained three Bahraini Shia male civilians who escaped with light injuries. Bahraini security insiders told GSN the attackers believed the vehicle carried a Bahraini Secret Intelligence Service (BSIS) surveillance team.
Issue 840, 7 November 2008. more
IOCs invited for deep onshore gas exploration
The government has launched a licensing round for deep onshore gas exploration. According to Energy Minister Abdelhussein Mirza, “Bahrain is producing from Khuff formations, but we’d like to go deeper than ever before in pre-Khuff formations in the search for new onshore gas deposits.” Bahrain is keen to secure domestic gas supplies as the region is struggling to match supply with demand. Bahrain is planning an extensive exploration programme with IOCs to bring their technical expertise.
Issue 840, 7 November 2008. more
Risk management report
Proposed bloc to include Israel sparks anger, as sectarian issues drag on
Issue 838, 10 October 2008. more
Samena Capital attracts Omani, other investors
Bringing together businessmen and former asset managers from the (Indian) Subcontinent, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa (Samena), a new asset management company set up in Bahrain, has attracted particular interest from Omani investors. Samena Capital (SC) has already raised $200m for its Special Situations Fund (SSF) and targets a $350m close by 31 October.
Issue 837, 26 September 2008. more
Bahrain flirts with political danger by playing the population game
Population growth is a universal feature of the Gulf Co-operation Council
region at a time of booming oil-financed expansion, with a surge in construction
activity and accelerating demand for services creating an almost insatiable need
for labour. The GCC thus continues to suck in foreign workers to meet real
present economic needs. This is also the case for some sectors in Bahrain, but
there is also concern that in the small communally divided island state migration
policy is serving political ends too – with potentially dangerous consequences.
Issue 835, 1 September 2008. more
Tales from a Bahraini shipyard: how graft became routine
The institutionalised use of illicit payments as a marketing tool is revealed in documents seen by GSN that describe business practices at one of the most important Bahrain-based industrial companies.
Issue 834, 25 July 2008. more
Risk management report
Sectarian, family issues and unemployment combine to test King Hamad
Issue 833, 11 July 2008. more
US designation of terrorist facilitators
As well as the Qatari Khalifa Mohammed Turki Al-Subaiy, the US Treasury Depar tment has added two Bahrainis to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorist Individuals, for their alleged role in providing logistical, financial and material support to Al-Qaeda operatives in the Afghanistan/Pakistan conflict zone, as well as in Iran.
Issue 831, 13 June 2008. more
Bahrain’s Hamad holds private talks to help stave off Shia crisis
There is a long way to go if Bahrain is to tackle its deep grievances, but sources told GSN that King Hamad and leaders of the hardline Shia opposition were ready to continue the dialogue they have quietly started.
Issue 827, 18 April 2008. more
Abuse claims leave the Bahraini authorities exposed
Bahrain passed through a potentially dangerous period in January, following the tense days of mid-December when a Shia protestor was killed (GSN 821/2). But government officials are struggling to respond to the pressure piled on by international human rights groups who are demanding an investigation into allegations of torture and other abusive treatment made by former detainees and relatives of those still being held.
Issue 822, 1 February 2008. more
Wefaq under pressure as Haq raises the stakes with allegations over Bahraini land deals
The sensitive issue of land may now move centre stage as the extra-parliamentary opposition adopts bullish new campaign tactics: Al-Wefaq risks being outflanked, while shifts in the Al-Khalifa power structure are being closely watched by analysts and opponents alike.
Issue 812, 14 September 2007. more
Bahrain’s intolerant past haunts Hamad’s democratic future
King Hamad and Al-Wefaq, both challenged by hard-line opponents in their efforts to compromise, need to show their supporters that a more tolerant political model can be made to work in Bahrain – where political opinions once more seem dangerously polarised.
Issue 807, 8 June 2007. more
Bahrain cements US ties as Centcom gets busy
Washington is increasing defence co-operation where it can across the GCC region, but recent exercises show that Bahrain remains the United States’ closest military ally.
Issue 805, 11 May 2007. more
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| Perspectives: from the GSN archive |
Salafists placated with prestige, Wefaq captures posts that count
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society and its allies may have fallen short of the majority position they had hoped to secure in Bahrain’s 40-seat Majlis Al-Nawab (Chamber of Deputies), but they have emerged as clear winners in the tussle over leadership of parliament’s key committees, even if shrewd Sunni Islamist Al-Mawda will be prominent at Foreign Affairs.
Issue 797,
19 January 2007.more
Fraught mood in Bahrain, caught between compromise and continued opposition
A long, hot summer beckons for the island’s main political society, as protests and arrests continue, with elections still months away and reforms inching only slowly forward.
Issue 780, 28 April 2006. more
Bahraini opposition realigns, hawks choose no compromise option
The next 12 months will show whether the creation of a radical new opposition force fractures Shiite Islamist support or broadens the range of pressures on Bahrain’s government.
Issue 770,
25 November 2005. more
Wefaq could split over reaction to new Bahraini political societies law
The new act covering political societies forces the ‘boycott’ opposition into uncomfortable choices and risks raising tensions further in the run-up to elections in 2006.
Issue 763/4, 2 September 2005. more
Equal treatment for all – Alawi’s answer to the GCC’s employment challenge
Charges for recruiting foreigners are designed to even up the labour market and stimulate the recruitment of locals, Bahrain’s labour minister told GSN.
Issue 758, 27 May 2005. more
Bahrain/Qatar causeway underlines new regional alignments
Rapprochement between Bahrain and Qatar is likely to get its physical expression in an estimated $1.8bn causeway project. This will underline the determination even of Saudi Arabia’s traditionally closest allies to build their own connections with neighbours and diversify their economic and social networks in the fast-evolving Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region.
Issue 747, 10 December 2004. more
Bahrain’s feuding factions find interests in common
Urgent US security warnings are a blow’s to Manama’s confidence, but there is some good news for the political class, with signs of progress from efforts to reconcile Bahrain’s ruling Al-Khalifas.
Issue 738, 9 July 2004. more
Bahrain consolidates US connection to build on major non-NATO Ally status
Bahrain, the focus for the latest article in GSN’s series on Gulf militaries, has a long-standing military relationship with the USA which the Al-Khalifas continue to consolidate. Since President George W Bush announced that the global ‘war on terror’ had begun in late 2001, the USA’s relationship with Bahrain, which was always good – with the island hosting American naval facilities for five decades – has become closer still. As Bahrain renewed its ten-year basing agreement with the USA in October 2001, Washington promoted it to the status of Major Non-NATO Ally, which only eight other countries hold.
Issue 724, 12 December 2003. more
Regional financial hub aspires to the heights
Long a centre of banking in the Gulf – now with no less than 353 financial institutions located there, including 33 Islamic banks and insurance firms – the kingdom is hoping to raise its profile regionally and on the international scene with a series of initiatives and big projects intended to breathe new life into not just the financial sector, but tourism, industry and even the oil sector.
Issue 723, 28 November 2003. 
more
Bahrain Shia Islamists’ poll victory poses questions about October election
King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa and his government, secular leftists and the women’s movement, and Western advocates of democratic reform have been forced to confront thereal extent of popular support for Shia Islamism in one of the Gulf’s most socially liberal countries, as results of Bahrain’s 9 May local elections sink in.
Issue 686, 15 May 2002. more
Bahrain opposition injects sour note into Hamad’s royal honeymoon
Opposition groups, infuriated by the final shape of constitutional reforms announced by King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa—the former Emir who on 14 February promoted himself to full monarchical status—are pondering whether to boycott Bahrain’s 9 May municipal and 24 October parliamentary elections (GSN 680/16).
Issue 681, 6 March 2002.more
