Bahrain

Note: This column mainly includes countries along the Belt and Road and countries that have signed cooperation agreements with China on Belt and Road Initiative.

Government

Bahrain is a constitutional hereditarymonarchy led by:

The King: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa AlKhalifa

The Prime Minister: His Royal HighnessPrince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa

The Crown Prince: His Royal Highness PrinceSalman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa

The system of governance is based on theseparation of legislative, executive and judicial authorities and theircooperation under the provisions of this Constitution

Ruleof Law

The Kingdom of Bahrain is a fullysovereign, independent Islamic Arab State whose population is part of the Arabnation. The system of the Kingdom of Bahrain is that of a hereditaryconstitutional monarchy.

The system of government in the Kingdom ofBahrain is democratic, sovereignty being in the hands of the people, the sourceof all powers.

Citizens, both men and women, are entitledto participate in public affairs and may enjoy political rights, including theright to vote and to stand for elections, in accordance with the Conditionsstated in the Constitution.

History

The Kingdom of Bahrain is actually anarchipelago of 33 islands in the Arabian Gulf that has been inhabited by humanssince prehistoric times. Around 5000 years ago Bahrain was home to the BronzeAge civilization of Dilmun, which lasted some two millenia. Since then Bahrainhas been occupied alternately by Babylonians, Sumerians, Greeks, Persians,Portuguese, and Turks, among others.

The Dilmun Empire

The Dilmuns were powerfuland influential people. Situated along popular trade routes between southernIraq and India and Pakistan, Dilmun was a center of business, a traditionBahrain still holds dear as a financial hub of the Middle East.
In the fourth century BC, Nearchus, a general in the army of Alexander theGreat, explored Bahrain, when it was known by the Greek name Tylos. Greekwriter Pliny commented on Tylos’ beautiful pearls in his writing in the firstcentury AD.

The Onset of Christianity and Islam

In the 3rd or 4th centuriesAD many people living in Bahrain adopted the Christian faith. Nestorian Churchrecords show that Bahrain was an established seat of its religion prior to andduring the early years of Islam.
When Islam made its first forays into Arabia, Bahrain was one of thefirst parts to accept the new religion. In 640 AD, the Prophet Mohammedwrote the ruler of Bahrain inviting him to adopt Islam. A peaceful adoption ofIslam occurred and for two centuries Christians and Muslims lived together inBahrain. Bahrain still has a small indigenous Christian community.
In 1487 the Omanis conquered Bahrain and erected a fort whose ruins still existand Portuguese also entered the scene until 1602 when Bahrainis themselvesdrove them from their island and then invited Persians in for protection. In1783, The Al-Khalifa family arrived from Kuwait and drove out the Persians. TheAl Khalifas rule the land benevolently to this day.
The Twentieth Century

In 1932 oil was found inBahrain, the first discovery of oil on the Arab side of the Gulf. The reserve,however, is relatively small. Accordingly, Bahrain has moved judiciouslythrough the twentieth century, diversifying its economy and nurturinginternational business relationships.
In 1968, an agreement ended a century as a British protectorate and, by 1971,Bahrain earned total independence. Today, Bahrain is a model of stability. In2000, as promised, the Amir inaugurated a new era of democracy in Bahrain.October of that year witnessed substantial political reforms. Citizens voted inelections that established a bi-cameral parliament. In 2001, women voted forthe first time. Bahrainis today enjoy a greater voice in the laws that governthem—an uncommon freedom in the Gulf.

Culture

The Kingdom of Bahrain holds a unique placethanks to its geographic location in the Arabian Gulf and to its deep-rootedhistory of powerful civilizations. Both elements have blessed with one of themost liberal cultural heritages worldwide, making it, throughout the ages, asafe home for ethnically diverse inhabitants.
Bahrain is thus distinguished by its rich history and famous civilizations thatspan more than 5,000 years. Its pluralistic identity and its generouscontributions to the world’s civilizations have made it a shining cultural andintellectual centre and an oasis of mutual tolerance and peaceful coexistence amongcultures and religions.
It also enjoys an excellent regional and international reputation with regardto its efforts that aim to establish regional and global peace thanks to thepioneering initiatives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Seeking toenhance its cultural and civilized achievements and provide a legislative andinstitutional framework, Bahrain in 2015 established the Bahrain Authority forCulture and Antiquities (BACA), chaired by Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed AlKhalifa, as a subsidiary authority reporting to the Cabinet.
The BACA carries out all the tasks relating to the protection and developmentof culture, national heritage, antiquities and museums as well as toencouraging art and theatre activities that used to be carried out by theMinistry of Culture and other official bodies. BACA also aims to promote theKingdom’s deep-rooted history, impressive civilizations and rich cultures byorganizing annual festivals and cultural, intellectual and artisticactivities.

Economy

Along with competitive costs, easy accessto the rest of the Middle East, and a well-established business infrastructure,the Kingdom of Bahrain has a great deal of experience in understanding theneeds of foreign businesses and responding to them. Bahrain regards foreigninvestment as key to its Economic Vision 2030 long-term plan for improving thecompetitiveness of our economy, creating skilled jobs for Bahrainis andenhancing living standards. For this reason, Bahrain is committed to building onour existing advantages, aiming to build the Middle East’s most attractivecentre for business.

The 2030 Economic Vision

The 2030 Economic Vision, launched by HisMajesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa in October 2008 embodies a comprehensivevision for the Kingdom of Bahrain that aims at creating a clear approach todevelop the kingdom’s economy while focusing on the main objective which is toimprove the standard of living of all Bahraini citizens. The vision waslaunched after four years of elaborate discussions with a group of decisionmakers in the public and private sectors including government institutions andconcerned entities in addition to a number of think tanks and internationalinstitutions. The 2030 Economic Vision focuses on crystallizing an integratedsocio-economic government vision and focuses on three basic principles whichare competitiveness, integrity and sustainability. After the launch of thevision, the Kingdom of Bahrain began an institutional economic reform programthat is in line with the objective of the 2030 Economic Vision. This led to thepreparation of a national economic strategy that represents a roadmap toachieve the vision. This strategy is continuously revised to adapt to theinternational changes and the government’s work program.

National Development Strategy

The Government has developed a NationalEconomic Strategy for the planning period of 2008-2014 to guide the directionof the economy and Government. It illustrated the links between governmentpolicies, identified key initiatives to be implemented over the planningperiod, assigned responsibility for the initiatives, and outlined the actionsnecessary to achieve them. Since the 2030 Economic Vision and the accompanyingNational Economic Strategy were adopted by the Kingdom, much progress has beenachieved in reforming Bahrain’s economy and in increasing the effectiveness ofGovernment institutions. In light of experience and changing circumstances,National Development Strategy (2015-2018) represents the next step in Bahrain’sjourney toward the attainment of the Vision, as it outlines the medium-termstrategic direction of the country in the 2015-2018 planning period.

Source: bahrainembassy.org