Bahrain Politics, Relations & Current Affairs

Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and Prime Minister of Bahrain, and Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, arriving at the pier at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain This handout image released by the US Naval Forces Central Command on Jan. 31, 2022.

Bahrain’s Paranoia About Iran Is Self-Defeating

A new regional alliance is undermining Bahrain’s stability at home.

Analysis |

Anchal Vohra

Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House

On Abraham Accords Anniversary, Biden Is Tepid About Israeli-Arab Peace

A historic breakthrough has been dragged into partisan politics.

Argument |

Jonathan H. Ferziger

A visitor touches an interactive display showing a projection of Aziz Kaddan, an Israeli Arab entrepreneur and the CEO of Myndlift, at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sept. 3, 2019.

For Arab Israelis, the New Peace Treaties Spell Opportunity

The Abraham Accords are spurring Israel’s Arab entrepreneurs to bridge cultures.

Argument |

Marc J. Sievers, Jonathan H. Ferziger

An airplane from Israel's El Al airline arrives in Abu Dhabi

How Arab Ties With Israel Became the Middle East’s New Normal

Though Israel remains opposed to Palestinian independence, 2020 marked the year of its acceptance in the region.

The Year in Review |

Dan Ephron

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House in Washington, DC, on Sept. 15.

Trump’s Parting Gift to Biden: A More Stable Middle East

He was successful because only an iconoclastic president could have rejected false assumptions and failed strategies.

Elephants in the Room |

Ray Takeyh

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, and UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan at the Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC, on Sept. 15.

UAE, Bahrain Brace for a Chillier Biden Approach

Biden will shift focus in the Middle East, but Israeli-Arab normalization will continue.

Election 2020 |

Jonathan H. Ferziger

Palestinians gather to commemorate the Second Intifada and to protest the Israeli normalization deals in the occupied West Bank on Sept. 28.

What Normalization?

How Israel’s agreements this year with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates made the Middle East more volatile.

Argument |

Geneive Abdo, Theodosia Rossi

An airplane of Israel's El Al is adorned with the Emirati, Israeli, and U.S. flags and the word "peace" in Arabic, English, and Hebrew on arriving at the Abu Dhabi airport in the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the UAE on Aug. 31, 2020.

Welcome to a Brand-New Middle East

Israel’s pacts with the UAE and Bahrain go far beyond the tenuous “cold peace” with Egypt and Jordan. They could even help end the conflict with the Palestinians.

Argument |

Varsha Koduvayur, David Daoud

Bahrain Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, and United Arab Emirates Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan at the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords at the White House on Sept. 15.

For Netanyahu, Normalization Deals Are a Long-Awaited Vindication

But the White House ceremony is marred by events back in Israel, including his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Report |

Jonathan H. Ferziger

Saudi Minister of State Mohammed al-Shaikh arrives for the second day of a U.S.-sponsored Middle East economic conference in Bahrain on June 26.

Gulf-Israel Ties Might Not Survive Trump’s Peace Plan

A political program that does not envision statehood for the Palestinians could reverse the Gulf Arab states’ tentative warming toward Israel.

Shadow Government |

Daniel B. Shapiro, Yoel Guzansky

Palestinian demonstrators carry caricatures during a protest against the U.S.-led peace plan in Ramallah on June 24.

Wedge Politics Won’t Bring Israeli-Palestinian Peace

Kushner’s plan aims to divide Palestinians from their leaders but fails to recognize that the people already resent their corrupt leadership—while failing to place any similar pressure on an Israeli prime minister under indictment.

Argument |

Ronald R. Krebs

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) meets with White House Advisor Jared Kushner (L), on Aug. 24, 2017 in Ramallah.

Economic Band-Aids Won’t Bring Peace to the Middle East

European leaders should not lend support to a Trump administration plan that dangles economic carrots to Palestinians while entrenching the Israeli occupation.

Argument |

Muriel Asseburg, Hugh Lovatt

Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt attend the opening session of a conference on the Middle East on Feb. 14, in Warsaw, Poland.

Don’t Dismiss the Bahrain Conference. It Can Help Palestinians.

Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt’s peace plan may not be the deal of the century, but there are interim steps that U.S. officials and Arab leaders could take to help stabilize the West Bank and Gaza.

Argument |

Dennis Ross

Israeli Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev (C), Mohamed Bin Thaaloob al-Derai, President of UAE Wrestling Judo, and Kickboxing Federation (L) and International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer (R) chat during the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Judo tournament in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi on October 27, 2018.

How the Gulf States Got in Bed With Israel and Forgot About the Palestinian Cause

Benjamin Netanyahu is building ties with anti-Iran Arab leaders from Riyadh to Doha and betting that a peace deal is no longer a necessary prerequisite for normalizing diplomatic ties.

Argument |

Dalia Hatuqa