Bahrain: Issues for U.S. Policy
Abstract
As the smallest, least oil-endowed member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the island Kingdom of Bahrain has established close partnerships with its larger Gulf neighbors, most notably Saudi Arabia, as well as Western powers, such as the United States and United Kingdom. U.S.-Bahraini ties are long-standing and have deepened over the past four decades as the Arab Gulf states have faced threats from Iran. Bahrain is the only GCC state to have a Shia Muslim majority population, and Bahrain's Shias have long asserted they are discriminated against by the Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa family-led government and that Shias have been accused by Sunnis of loyalty to predominantly Shia Muslim Iran. Bahrain has hosted a U.S. naval command headquarters for the Gulf region since 1948, and there are several thousand U.S. military forces serving at the naval facility.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 12, 2024
- Accession Number
- AD1227255
Entities
People
- Jeremy M. Sharp
Organizations
- Library of Congress