A real time look at the seeds of turmoil in Bahrain and Syria Tooba Khurshid

Introduction: There is nothing more beautiful than a rainbow, but it takes both rain and sunshine to make one. If life is to be rounded and many-colored like a rainbow, Both joy and sorrow must come to it

States of Bahrain and Syria are in the sunshine of revolution, a series of sorrows which in the long run hopefully going to be turned into rain of joy and prosperity. Bahrain is a State having Shiite majority with ruling Sunni minority. The ruling party has been accused of attempt to change the demographics by encouraging the immigrants taking Bahrain nationality. There has been number of demands which have been bubbling the discontent for many years which involves the demand for new constitution, release of political prisoners, independent justice system and freedom of speech. Demonstrators are not just demanding end to the dynasty but are calling for an end to the segregation. The current revolutionary challenges in the Bahrain and Syria are not just the result of sectarian perspective but are the collective end result of economic and social challenges including unemployment and inflation. In Syria despite of the repression of emergency rule and harsh control the protests are growing including local, religious who organize the protest and flow of information through internet and mobile messages. The unrest in Syria is the result of the failure of expected reforms since 2005.The ruling party claims to promote the reforms but failed to implement it. The domestic issues including water crisis and the growing gap between rich and poor have also created the regional as well as international puzzles. There has always been a series of reasons existed in the roots of a conflict or revolutionary situation which might not be existed in a reasonable form. So there is a continuous series of issues which has been adding and boosting up freedom movement in the region. According to the domino theory if one country fell under communist control, all of the countrys neighbors were threatened with the same fateiSame is the case with Arab uprising; the social upheavals in the region were triggered by the Tunisia event followed by the other factors from economic management to political rights and freedom. The paper will follow the political and constitutional pressures that lead to the upheaval including the economic factors with facts and figures. The aim of this paper is to unearth the causes behind the current Arab situation which has taken deep roots in this upheaval.The upheaval that has reinforced the symbolic stage for new world order because from historical

experiences we have learned that whenever a revolution hits an area we see the history in making.

Historical Background:
Bahrain: Fixing up my first hand information Bahrain has rich ancient history. It has been the kingdom of famous Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Assyrians. Bahrain has been ruled by the Portuguese from 1507 to 1602ii, the vestiges of the Portuguese empire were replaced by the Persian Empire. The Persians were overthrown and expelled by the current colossal Al-Khalifa dynasty.iii Abridging the history of Bahrain, the heavy involvement of the British Empire in the Persian Gulf first became in 1880s to quench the piracy which threatened its commercial activities and which could possibly grasp the other states policy interference that could impinge British monopoly in the region.iv British imposed number of treaties on Bahrain to have domination in the region and particularly on Bahrain. Through a series of treaties with the United Kingdom, Bahrain became a British protectorate. The discovery of oil in Bahrain in 1932v brought herculean modernization in Bahrain, with its growing development the British influence cause a spell and continues to grow. Bahrain developed close relations with British. With open arms Bahrain welcomed British bases in island and the appointment of Balgrave as advisor is the evidence of the growing relationship between the two states. The Britain started seizing different strategic locations of the Persian Gulf. Aden, the strategic hub of trade; British took control of the area by seizing the control of harbors putting up the British East India Company as an essence in the Middle East which successfully carry out mission of Britain to have control over the area.vi By virtue of long series of treaties with Bahrain, Britain started establishing official control over the area which began unrest among Bahraini people, resulted in the first revolt in 1895vii which was further build up by the killing of protestors by British forces. The growing anti British

sentiments and expenditures to British forces resulted in the announcement of the British forces to be withdrawn from Bahrain by ending its protection over the territory. Syria: Syria a state borders with countries like Lebanon, Iraq and turkey but its most contentious border is with Israel. It is a home to different ethnic and religious groups which includes Kurds, Druze and Alwite etc. Syria got independence from French ion 1946viii.it has experienced the political unrest during the 1950s and 1960s.ix This unrest includes military governmental series and unsuccessful attempt with Egypt for three years. The Baath party which was based on the idea of Arab socialism and nationalism seized the power. In 1966 the original founders of the party were expelled by the radical wing of the party and took control.x The founders effected themselves in Iraq and constitute a rivalry between Iraq and Syria which has stayed ever since. By 1970 the moderate wing headed by the Lieutenant General Hafiz AL-Assad seized power and ruled Syria till 2000.xi Dr Brasher al Assad the son of Hafiz Assad was formally nominated as president in 2000 and reelected in 2007 for seven years term.xii Syria is not electoral democracy; president by the 1973 constitution is nominated for seven years terms by the Baath party and approved by popular referendum.xiii The only legal parties in Syria includes the Baath party and its small coalition partners. On ruling National Progressive Front (NPF) and two third of the Peoples council seats are reserved for NPF and as for as the independent candidates are concerned those are allowed to participate who are closely vetted and contest for about a third of seats.

Dimension of Riots:
The social Sturm und Drang in the Middle East particularly in Bahrain and Syria has been bringing about abruptly by number of factors. It has been debated in many reports and research that the main case of unrest in Bahrain is sectarian conflict between ruling Sunni and majority Shia population and the background lies in the tension between Iranian Shia and Saudi Sunni who compete for regional ambitions and dominance.

In reality the sectarian role in the upheaval is quite limited. The Shia led uprising has mainly economic and institutional agenda which includes the unwillingness of ruling government to expand reforms of informal and formal practice of discrimination, failure to address socioeconomic issues and restrictions in the formation of free political parties rather than the nationalistic one. The Syrian uprising which is a natural revolt is backed by the number of factors especially backed by the discontent for dictatorship. Syria suffers the same grievances as suffered by the other states of Middle East. There are real roots in what Syrian are facing now.

Paul Cole non-resident scholar at INEGMA, Regime change in the Arab world: An Islamic Domino Theory, accessed on< March 12, 2011> < accessed from http://www.eurasiareview.com/analysis/regime-change-in-thearab-world-an-islamic-domino-theory-24022011 >
ii

George Lenczowski, The Middle East in World Affairs (London: Cornell University Press, 1979), p.669

iii

Bahrain Coutry Guide Washington Post <accessed on March 15, 2011> <accessed from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/bahrain.html >
iv

Bernstien Laura W. Bharain:British Empire v. Iranian Shah ( Proceedings of the Five College Model United Nations Conference 2011, Mount Holyoke college, Massachusetts, April 1st -3rd , 2011) , 3.<accessed on March 15, 2011> <accessed from http://fcmun.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/JCC-Britain.pdf>
v

Bahrain Discovery of Oil data of January, 1993 < retrieved on March 20, 2011> <available at http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-1020.html >
vi

Scott Smitson, The Road to Good Intentions: British Nation-Building in Aden, Centre for Complex Operations, National Defense University Case Study No. 10, 2010. <Retrieved on March 20, 2011> <retrieved from http://ccoportal.org/sites/ccoportal.org/files/case_study_10_student_edition.pdf >
vii

Allison, Understanding Bahrain: News, History & Facts, April 5, 2011. <retrieved on March 22, 2011> <available at http://www.legallanguage.com/legal-articles/bahrain-facts/> Encyclopedia of Nations, Syria-country history and economic development <retrieved on April 9, 2011> <retrieved from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Syria-COUNTRYHISTORY-AND-ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT.html>
ix viii

Operational guidance note Syria, UK Border Agency V.4.0, February 2009. <retrieved on April 9, 2011> <retrieved from http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/countryspecificasylumpolicyogns/syriaog n?view=Binary>
x

Political Dynamics, source US Library of Congress <retrieved on June 25, 2011> <retrieved from http://countrystudies.us/syria/53.htm>

xi

One world nations online, History of Syria, <retrieved from http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/Syria-history.htm > <retrieved on June 20, 2011>
xii

Encyclopedia of Nations, Syria History <retrieved on April 9, 2011> <retrieved from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Syria-COUNTRY-HISTORY-ANDECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT.html>
xiii

syria overview, <retrieved on June 20, 2011> <retrieved from http://www.cafe-syria.com/Constitution.htm>