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 Bahrain Size: 620 square kilometers. Population: 630,000 |
An emirate in the Gulf that includes 32 islands, Bahrain has been walking a
tightrope between the West and Iran. Headed by Hamad Bin Issa Al Khalifa,
Bahrain has to contend with a significant Iranian minority and a Shi'ite
majority. The threat of Iranian-sponsored unrest is always a concern in the
emirate. Militarily, Bahrain is bolstered by the presence of the U.S. Fifth
Fleet as well as U.S. forces and weapons stocks. The emirate has bolstered
its forces with the purchase of U.S. F-16 aircraft. Since the Gulf war,
Bahrain has rapidly increased its forces and now has 180 tanks, virtually
all of them modern M-60A3 models. The emirate has been expanding and
improving its attack helicopter fleet and has formed a squadron of Cobra
AH-1E aircraft.Bahrain has also improved relations with its Gulf Arab neighbors. In March
2001, Bahrain reconciled with Qatar when
the International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled in favor of Manama's
claim of an oil-rich area in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain plans to rapidly
develop the region and has issued a tender for exploration for oil and
natural gas.
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