ASSESSMENTS

Little Bahrain Turns to Its Neighbors for Help, Again

Sep 6, 2018 | 09:00 GMT

Vehicles cross the King Fahd Causeway, which runs 25 kilometers between Saudi Arabia and the island nation of Bahrain.

(KV NAUSHAD/Shutterstock)

Highlights

Fearing the spread of economic problems from Bahrain, its wealthier neighbors will solidify the details of an aid package in the final quarter.
The most powerful members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, concerned about Iran's ability to influence Bahrain's Shiite majority, will work to ensure that the Sunni royal family stays in power there.
Wary of further upsetting an already restive population with economic austerity, Bahrain's rulers will struggle to make reforms to its structural imbalances, even if its GCC neighbors demand change in return for aid.

The small island nation of Bahrain is caught in a big squeeze. Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia both feel a degree of connection and influence over its people and territory, and some of its wealthy neighbors -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait -- often instruct the ruling al-Khalifa family on how to conduct the country's domestic and foreign policies. The rulers, who are Sunni, oversee a Shiite Arab majority population and an economy with more foreign workers than citizens. Those rulers also have a habit of needing help managing the country, and they are again in need of economic aid....

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