... with the current trend of policies which would affect its relations with other GCC states at a later stage including those with Oman and at a later stage with Iraq due to the strong connections between Iraqi military groups with those in Bahrain whom Bahrain would accuse of tampering with its security and stability.
Other Key Players
Irina Zviagelskaya, Nikolay Surkov:
Russian Policy in the Middle East: Dividends and Costs of the Big Game
Israel
Some important geopolitical trends in the region will be marked by March 2, 2020, with a new round of Israeli elections which would decide the future government of Israel. Indicators from Israel ...
... Bahrain, the smallest state in the region. It is less than one thousand-square-kilometers. And the academic question of how Bahrain could survive against such massive forces around is important to answer. And the answer is simple—smart leadership, ... ... reminded that just because the Islamic State has lost its territory, it should not be discounted. It remains a threat to European, Middle Eastern, and international security. And we need to take it seriously. I think that more emphasis has to be paid to finding ...
... and Saudi Arabia work together. Also vectors of power are strong from Iran with Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and potentially Bahrain and Qatar. And vectors of power a very strong from Turkey into northern Syria and northern Iraq. The USA works military ... ... in connection with internal issues in some countries, notably Saudi Arabia.
Andrey Kortunov:
Russia: the Power Broker in the Middle East?
Islam
is not going to be the constant which many experts expect. Islam has been abused as ideology among extreme ...
...
Economic Freedom Rating of Countries in 2016
Rating
Country
Points
Change on previous year
1
Hong Kong
88,6
-1,0
2
Singapore
87,8
-1,6
3
New Zealand
81,6
-0,5
18
Bahrain
74,3
+0,9
153
Russia
50,6
-1,5
Source
:
www.heritage.org/index/Country/Bahrain
Bahrain is the highest ranked of the 17 Middle East countries in terms of economic freedom (
Table 2
).
Table 2.
Regional Economic Freedom Ratings in 2016
Rating
Country
Points
∆ compared with 2015
1
Bahrain
74,3
0,9
2
UAE
72,6
0,2
3
Qatar
70,7
-0,1
3
Israel
70,7
0,2
5
Jordan
68,3
-1,0
Source
...
... speech that Iran “will never stop supporting our friends in the region and the people of Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon”
[28]
.
In the meantime, the GCC states are countering the Houthi (an Iran backed proxy) insurgency ... ... Consultation with Saudi Arabia:
https://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2015/pr15383.htm
[21]
Regional Economic Outlook Update Middle East and Central Asia Department May 2015, Statistical Appendix, IMF:
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2015/mcd/eng/pdf/mreo0515st....
