The Kingdom of the Two Seas
That name is what "Mamlakat al-Bahrayn" translates to, and it is official name of the island country called Bahrain in English.
It's an interesting place -- and more interesting now as whether or not it will remain a "kingdom" is currently in contention. As this article from a couple of years ago indicates, jihadists operating in Bahrain is nothing new. And this Stratfor piece from a couple of years before that. New information suggests that the opposition movement leaders in Bahrain today "received training from Hezbollah."
I have an odd personal connection with this small but wealthy country. A bit over a decade ago, I had dinner with one of the ruling family, a sultan who (as nearly as I can tell) is now 27th in line for the throne. He was pleasant, well-spoken, and his dinner wife did not say very much but seemed nice. We had just entered into a partnership agreement on a project I was working on at the time -- so I have his signature in a one-page document we whipped up as part of my personal possessions.
I used the expression "dinner wife" because another wife waited outside in a limousine through all of this, and I think there was one more busy shopping. The idea of multiple wives marks this as a very different culture from that of the West, but the idea of shopping is certainly a point of commonality.
It will not be good for the world if the jihadist movement in the Middle East succeeds in taking over more countries. I expect that the world will look very different at the end of this year compared to the beginning -- and that these changes will not be good ones. As Bahrain is a cooperative ally of the US, I expect an announcement from this administration suggesting that it may be time for hope and change in Bahrain. There is no very good side to be on there, but certainly a very bad side to oppose -- and the jihadists have the "bad side" sewn up.
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It's an interesting place -- and more interesting now as whether or not it will remain a "kingdom" is currently in contention. As this article from a couple of years ago indicates, jihadists operating in Bahrain is nothing new. And this Stratfor piece from a couple of years before that. New information suggests that the opposition movement leaders in Bahrain today "received training from Hezbollah."
I have an odd personal connection with this small but wealthy country. A bit over a decade ago, I had dinner with one of the ruling family, a sultan who (as nearly as I can tell) is now 27th in line for the throne. He was pleasant, well-spoken, and his dinner wife did not say very much but seemed nice. We had just entered into a partnership agreement on a project I was working on at the time -- so I have his signature in a one-page document we whipped up as part of my personal possessions.
I used the expression "dinner wife" because another wife waited outside in a limousine through all of this, and I think there was one more busy shopping. The idea of multiple wives marks this as a very different culture from that of the West, but the idea of shopping is certainly a point of commonality.
It will not be good for the world if the jihadist movement in the Middle East succeeds in taking over more countries. I expect that the world will look very different at the end of this year compared to the beginning -- and that these changes will not be good ones. As Bahrain is a cooperative ally of the US, I expect an announcement from this administration suggesting that it may be time for hope and change in Bahrain. There is no very good side to be on there, but certainly a very bad side to oppose -- and the jihadists have the "bad side" sewn up.
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