Bahrain is an archipelago in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia, a series of islands that are generally level expanses of sand and rock and with a causeway connecting the country to Saudi Arabia. The government is a traditional monarchy. Oil was discovered in Bahrain in the 1930s, but it was not a great deal of oil when compared to the other Gulf states. Sheik Isa ibn-Sulman al-Khalifa became emir in 1961 with a determination to diversify his country's economy. He set about establishing Bahrain as a major financial center. Since then, the country also provides the populace with free medical care, education, and old-age pensions ("Bahrain" Infoplease).
The political structure of Bahrain allows for a degree of participation in the political process on the part of the citizenry, but at the same time the political reality is that one family controls the political life of the country and constitutes the government of Bahrain and has for some time. The Al Khalifa family is headed by Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa, the eleventh ruler of the Al Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled the country since 1783. He has been the ruler of Bahrain for 35 years and succeeded to the throne in 1961 when his father died. At that time, Bahrain was still a British protectorate, and Isa ibn Salman negotiated the termination of Bahrain's dependent status after the British announced in 1968 that they would withdraw all their defense forces from the Persian Gulf region. Bahrain achieved complete independence in 1971, at which time Isa ibn Salman assumed the title of emir. The Al Khalifa have continued to dominate Bahrain's government since that time (Metz 111-112).
While the country has remained relatively calm through most of the period of independence, it has recently been shaken by demonstrations against the rule of the Al Khalifa and in favor of increased democratization, which would, as noted, reduce the power of that ruling famil...