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Political Reform in Bahrain: end of a road?
A long, informative article by Abd al-Hadi Khalaf, who teaches Sociology of Development at the University of Lund, Sweden. His conclusion: In Bahrain, the early euphoria over a smooth and speedy process of reform has disappeared as the country reaches the threshold of a political and constitutional crisis. Mutual mistrust is deep and serious, undermining attempts to rebuild bridges between the regime and its opponents. The corrosive effects of the past three decades of misrule, mismanagement of resources and violations of human rights make the reforms that have been implemented appear temporary and unsustainable. To make them work, Bahrainâs king and political elites need to do more than simply wish that things improve. Bahrain has been held up as a model for some reform-minded members of other ruling families in the Gulf. Although, with the exception of the Saudis, none of these families behave as if under pressure, they have all signalled willingness to reform â including granting a greater role to local elites. The political reforms in Bahrain were seen as exemplifying the kind of measures that could be taken without requiring ruling families to give up any of their privileges â neither control over economic resources and political institutions, nor command of the armed forces and security agencies. Even local elites in some of the neighbouring states may have considered the Bahraini experiment to represent, at least, a significant step away from the prevailing political stagnation. But the past two years have shown that such a model, based on makrama [royal favors], does not lead to real reconciliation or produce lasting social peace. Bahrainâs experience may offer different lessons to would-be reformers in other Gulf monarchies. Processes of political reform require real concessions and can generate new problems that need to be dealt with consensually. It is true that even minor concessions by the ruling families may embolden local elites to demand more substantive political changes. On the other hand, procrastination is likely to prove more dangerous. Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-02-29 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=27134 |