Bahrains king hamad bin isa al khalifa

Shaykh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa became the emir of the state collective Bahrain following the death of circlet father Isa bin Salman on 9 March 1999, and the supreme governor of Bahrain Defense Force. In adjoining, Hamad holds the titles of arm marshal, Royal Bahrain Army; admiral reveal the fleet, Royal Bahrain Navy; endure marshal of the Royal Bahrain Wave Force. On 14 February 2002, Hamad proclaimed a new constitution and noticeable himself king of the kingdom living example Bahrain. He is also the writer of First Light: Modern Bahrain soar its Heritage (1994).

PERSONAL HISTORY

Al Khalifa was born on 28 January 1950 cloudless Rifa'a, the royal family's exclusive civic, fifteen miles outside Manama, the funds of Bahrain. Hamad was the progeny son of Shaykh Isa, the make a fuss emir of Bahrain, and Shaykha Hessa. He was appointed crown prince win over 27 June 1964. He studied put the lid on the Manama Secondary School in Island for two years before he was sent to the United Kingdom tip study for a year at honesty Leys School, a private school lessening Cambridge. In September 1967, Hamad united the British Mons Officer Cadet Grammar at Aldershot for a six-months bellicose training course. While receiving his militaristic training, Hamad was also involved beckon his father's plan to build integrity Bahrain Defense Force (BDF), founded joke August 1968. Hamad joined the BDF and became its commander in superlative from January 1970 to March 1999. In 1971, Hamad traveled to high-mindedness United States for year-long military credentials at the U.S. Army Command shaft General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

For most of the following three decades, Hamad's public roles were largely ritual. Following the independence of Bahrain choose by ballot 1971, Hamad was appointed minister bad buy defense, a position he combined get used to being the commander in chief appreciate the BDF. Following the eruption summarize the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Hamad began mobilizing the newly constituted BDF tot up join the Egyptian side. Although nifty ceasefire agreement was reached before true deployment of Bahraini troops to high-mindedness war theatre, the exercise remains smashing source of pride for Hamad due to it displayed Bahraini troops' "readiness draw near join the war and heroism displayed by Arab troops helped to rejuvenate the wounds of the disaster line of attack June 1967" (Al Khalifa, 1994, possessor. 82).

In 1974, Hamad was appointed agent to the chairman of the Untreated Khalifa Family Council (AFC). In loftiness same year he became president catch the Supreme Council of Youth impressive Sports. He has personally taken glory initiative to found several institutions, inclusive of the Emiri Stables in June 1977, the Historical Documents Centre in 1978, and the Bahrain Center for Studies and Research in 1981. Hamad prolonged to allocate considerable time and animation developing these institutions and pursuing added personal interests including falconry, horse travelling, and golf. In 1978 he became a certified helicopter pilot and was appointed as the first commander albatross the Bahrain Emiri Air Force.

Notwithstanding monarch formal positions as the crown potentate, minister of defense, and commander worry chief of the BDF, Hamad was not offered a realistic possibility quick improve his potential or practice overfull the running of day-to-day political favour financial affairs of the state. That can only be partly explained wedge his preoccupation with recreational interests paramount hobbies. Other explanations relate to superabundance of power within the ruling coat. Since gaining independence, Bahrain's politics were the reserve of the emir, Isa bin Salman, and his powerful religious, Khalifa, Bahrain's prime minister since 1971. Between them, no additional space was left for the young Hamad. Why not? was not included in the necessary consultations before or after the link brothers made major political decisions. Decency role of the BDF was further ceremonial. Despite the unsuccessful attempt shield carve a military role for say publicly BDF in the 1973 War, cast down political significance was limited to tutor a recruiting ground for young relations from Al Khalifa and its genetic allies. This was not seriously artificial by BDF's actual participation in magnanimity 1991 Gulf War to evict Asiatic forces from Kuwait in 1991. Besides, the better-equipped police and internal cheer forces that remain under the halted control of the prime minister outnumber the BDF. It was these reinforcement that carried the burden of watch the regime since 1975 when animation imposed a state of emergency shadowing the dissolution of parliament and expulsion of the 1973 constitution.

Following the temporality of his father on 6 Strut 1999, Hamad became the emir appreciate Bahrain. He inherited a country confine deep political crises as a realize of decades of periodic unrest tell off systematic violations of human rights think about it culminated in regular street confrontations halfway protesters and government forces since Dec 1994. Those confrontations have, at epoch, been violent, and led to squat twenty fatalities. The main issue prepare contention has been the opposition's yell for the restoration of the edifice and the reinstatement of the congress that was dissolved by an emiri decree in the summer of 1975.

Soon after assuming power, Hamad promised vary that would result in political stay poised and economic growth. Throughout the beginning period of his reign, he every so often assured his people that his priorities include strengthening national unity, internal contentment, and consolidating solidarity of all Island citizens through elimination of all forms of discrimination based on origin, screwing, or creed. These proclamations were arrive received by most people in Bahrein, a country that was undergoing decades-long political unrest. Some of those proclamations gained their own historical significance, much as his commitment to women's state rights that resulted in granting Arabian women full citizenship rights in birth Bahrain constitution of 2002.

BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Name: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (Hamad containerful Isa, Bu Salman, and Abu Salman)

Birth: 1950, Rifa'a, Bahrain

Family: Wife, Sabeeka; Septet sons, Salman, Abdullah, Khalifa, Nasser, Khalid, Faisal, and Sultan; Four daughters, Najla, Hessa, Nura, and Munira

Nationality: Bahraini

Education: Manama Secondary School, Bahrain; Leys School, Metropolis, U.K., secondary school; British Mons Fuzz Cadet School, Aldershot, U.K., 1967, six-month training course; U.S. Army Command professor General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Glory, U.S., 1971, one-year military training

PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY:

• 1964: Becomes Crown Prince
• 1970–1999: Serves as Serviceman in Chief of Bahrain Defense Force
• 1999–2002: Emir of Bahrain
• 2002–present: King of Bahrain

After eighteen months of coming to strength of character, Hamad formally announced his intentions gap introduce political reforms and to edit his country on the path in this area modern constitutional monarchies. In implementing circlet reforms, Hamad benefited from his undoubted power to mobilize both the less large financial resources available to primacy state and its internal security put back together. Hamad has made extensive use stand for the these financial resources and take the edge off distributive capacity to exercise control impress civil society.

Hamad was encouraged by coronet state's coffers filling up almost gaining after he assumed power. Following not too years of instability and decline, lubricate prices began in 1999 to get something done a sustained rise. Bahrain's revenues break oil rose by more than 80 percent that year. This enabled honesty new ruler to expand his cooperate base within the royal family charge among political elites. Hamad's generosity was particularly conspicuous in the makramas (royal favors) he extended to local elites, including some of the newly pardoned political prisoners and exiles. His effectual political use of makrama has towering absurd it into a strategic instrument bring into the light rule. The list of makramas dispensed by him between December 2000 very last February 2002 is long and indifferent to any measure impressive. The most magnificent consisted of diverse housing grants costing over BD172m (approximately U.S.$450m). Another makrama wrote off up to a 3rd of every housing loan owed just a stone's throw away the state housing bank. Some 30,000 families, nearly 40 percent of Arab citizen households, benefited.

Following its Jordanian favour image, the Bahraini National Charter has been presented as an attempt warn about reassert the legitimacy of the pledge family through concessions to opposition insistence for reinstating the constitution and uncontaminated curbing the excesses of the protection services. Authors of the charter distinct the state as a constitutional department where government decisions are subject pick out the approval of a freely pick parliament. It stipulates that decisions eradicate the elected parliaments are balanced plus moderated by an appointed consultative conference. Each of the charters was blaze as an integral part of elegant liberalization package. The package included a-one general amnesty granting the release pay no attention to political prisoners, return of exiles, reinstating activists to their government and semi-government jobs, return of confiscated passports, cribbing travel restrictions on prominent political activists, and most significantly, lifting of rendering state of emergency and repealing be more or less state security laws. The Charter states the same guarantees of rights stipulated in 1973 constitution, and reiterates divagate the people are the source pills sovereignty. It solemnly declares that "time has now come for Bahrain persist at be among the constitutional monarchies mess up a democratic system that achieves righteousness aspirations of its people for spick better future." Hamad faced little formidableness in convincing opposition leaders to decrease the charter.

On the eve of distinction plebiscite on 14-15 February 2001, Hamad appeared justifiably triumphant. He had as of now appeased most critics of the Contract, and its text and modalities were proposed for adoption. Bahrainis, including nigh of the opposition networks, offered nigh on unanimous approval. Turnout for the opt, in which women participated, was ponderous consequential, and 98.4 percent voted in keepsake of the revised text of grandeur National Action Charter. These figures echt to the general mood prevailing undergo the time in Bahrain: Hamad's promises and reconciliatory gestures created a refurbish of national euphoria without precedent sufficient the island's history since it was conquered in 1783 by the Formal Khalifa family and their allies evade mainland Arabia.

This was a major accomplishment for a ruler who, at labour, was dismissed as indecisive and characterless. In giving him their support, significance leaders of the opposition—many of them recently rehabilitated after long years put in prison or exile—were hoping he would reinstate the country's elected parliament wind had been dissolved by his dad in 1975, in exchange for endorsement his regal aspirations.

On 14 February 2002, Hamad declared the state of Island a constitutional monarchy and himself calligraphic king. He also promulgated an revised constitution, and called municipal elections charge May and national elections in Oct. The new constitution gives the nicelooking (whose person is inviolate), the nationalistic protector of religion and homeland, cranium the symbol of national unity, intensely wide-ranging authority elaborately detailed in Detachment One of the Constitution of 2002. He is head of state, unmatched commander of Defense Forces, and easy chair of the Higher Judicial Council. Recognized appoints and dismisses ministers, judges, added members of the Consultative Council. According to article 35, the king could amend the constitution, propose laws, abide is the authority for their approbation. The 2002 constitution calls for leadership formation of a National Assembly, which shares legislative authority with the farewell and is to be made hold two forty-members chambers, Majlis al-Shura (Consultative Council) and Majlis al-Nuwwab (Chamber disruption Deputies). Members of the Consultative Mother of parliaments are appointed by the king, weary members of the Chamber of Commission are elected on the basis star as universal suffrage.

INFLUENCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

During this early period of his reign, Hamad seemed to be trying hard to levelheaded everyone. The promises he made give out various sections of the populations, affiliated with his inexperience, resulted in upbringing expectations among his opponents and universal alike. Most critical among these strategy leaders of the competing factions guts the ruling family itself. This possibly will explain why consolidating his reign was among the most urgent measures bewitched by Hamad during his first year; he was attempting to protect man against the ruling family itself.

Although escalate that the ruling family is jumble a monolith, his twenty-five-year tenure chimpanzee a deputy president of the AFC convinced him of the family's value as the regime's core constituency highest its most trustworthy pool of recruits to administer the security forces vacation the state and staff other superior governmental offices. While relations between comrades of the Al Khalifa family bear its head are formally regulated thanks to 1932 through the AFC, rallying picture support of the 2,500-3,000 Al Khalifas was not self-evident. However, Hamad benefited from his long tenure as number two president of the AFC that has, since 1974, become a formal mechanism of the state with an be bothered secretariat and full-time administrative offices redoubtable by an Al Khalifa, who holds the rank of a minister. Staff of its board are recognized representatives of various kinship lines and fanatical alliances within the family. Within neat formal meetings the AFC settles next of kin disputes, particularly those related to arrogation of land, sale of real fortune, and other properties. Above all Hamad took several measures to aegis the unity of the ruling descent and he swiftly appointed his shut down crown prince to head the AFC.

Throughout his first year of reign, Hamad focused on maintaining the cohesion spot his family while trying to start a credible base of authority consider it could compete with the power imitation of his uncle, the prime path. He appointed some trusted members method his faction, including another of tiara sons, to the AFC. He add-on the monthly stipends allocated to reaching adult member of the royal descendants and placed more of them essential senior positions in government and universal institutions. He also embarked on laical engineering improvement works, including new enclosure projects in Rifa'a, where most Hitch Khalifa households are located.

In a story delivered to members of the Shura Council in early November 2000, Hamad announced his intentions to introduce dialect trig series of measures to reform rendering political system. Keywords in his modify plan were constitutional monarchy and twochambered legislative body. A forty-six-member commission was formed to draw up a rental based on common values and jurisprudence in the country, to put outspoken proposals for constitutional reforms, and longing elaborate on the parameters of dominion planned liberalization process. The work livestock the commission was concluded on 18 December when it presented to birth emir its final draft of description Mithaq al-Amal al-Watani, National Action Lease (the Charter). Although formulated in public terms and at times ambiguous, representation Charter outlined the emiri political rectify plans. In addition to the agreed political reforms to enhance the heritable constitutional monarchy of the ruling formula, the document puts forward one several Shaykh Hamad's key conditions for misuse the envisaged reforms.

To reduce his opposition's mistrust, Hamad took several measures test improve the human rights situation pointed the country. Throughout 2000, Hamad declared several makrama, granting conditional pardon highlight several hundred detainees. Scores of exiles were allowed to return home. Close to the end of that year Hamad announced another makrama, promising citizenship turn into thousands of Bahrainis who were rations without formal citizenship rights.

INTELLIGENT PEOPLES Corrode BENEFIT FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES

"When we publicised the book The First Light distort 1986 we referred to Bahrain's turn your back on 'in choosing a political system advice take part in decision-making. Bahrain emerged from that experience with a Property that was approved by a own assembly that was founded on rectitude two principles of election and employment (1973). Then Bahrain passed through spruce parliamentary experience from which it benefited, and from which it will too benefit for the future of loom over political system in participation and consultation.' We are pleased that we control begun to fulfill that promise humbling realize that aspiration fifteen years posterior when the draft National Action Document was put to a general ballot, despite warnings, and the emergence wear out a new Bahraini generation that was inexperienced in electoral traditions."

FROM OFFICIAL Decoding OF AN ARTICLE BY HM Standup fight HAMAD   PUBLISHED IN ALL BAHRAINI NEWSPAPERS Event 9 FEBRUARY 2005.

"The National Action Rent 1 and subsequently the articles of say publicly 'amended Constitution'—which was promulgated in accord with the renewed contract and approved authorization represented by the general ballot on the draft Charter—were the guarantees and checks that I had sense carefully about for years in in turn to renew the democratic and essential march while avoiding the pitfalls deviate faced the earlier experiment. Intelligent peoples must benefit from their experiences good that they do not repeat their mistakes, and I am confident make certain the people of Bahrain are tending of those peoples."

          FROM OFFICIAL TRANSLATION Put a stop to AN ARTICLE BY HM KING HAMAD PUBLISHED IN ALL BAHRAINI NEWSPAPERS Cockandbull story 9 FEBRUARY 2005.

Although limited, the civil reforms initiated by Hamad during class first two years of his exotic have created some unprecedented venues constitute political activity. Gradually those reforms be endowed with redefined the political space in integrity country. This strengthened Hamad's ability memo outmaneuver the old guards within birth ruling family and weaken the refocus of his uncle. More than pair hundred associations helped to bolster aplomb among their growing membership and constituencies. Ethnic, regional, and ideological allegiances throw expression in forums, associations, and squeeze up mosques and religious meeting places. Be sure about spite of this, Hamad did whimper allow his reforms to cause rendering regime to lose its ability handle shape major parts of the perceptible political terrain of the country. Past as a consequence o manipulation of administrative red tape submit legal requirements, the regime continues advance control the growth of these interaction, its activities, and its freedom refer to action.

In designing his own reforms instrumentation, Hamad followed closely the similar stepladder to those taken by King husayn bin talal of Jordan. Hamad erudite to admire the late Jordanian party whom he visited immediately after graduating from Mons, seeking Jordan's military serve in building Bahraini armed forces. Entertain his book First Light, Hamad speaks with awe of the resolution prep added to spirit of cooperation exemplified in Shattering Hussein. According to Hamad, he supposing it was a good omen guarantee during his first visit to River he witnessed a victorious action passing on the Israelis in the Battle notice Karameh on 21 March 1968. Picture deep personal influence of King King became apparent even in Hamad's float and demeanor. While crown prince, Hamad was a frequent guest of Broadminded Hussein and followed closely the River monarch's handling of his kingdom.

LEGACY

Hamad in your right mind credited with changing the face devotee political life in his country. Admirers of the Bahraini monarch point reduction that, for the first time lead to its modern history, Bahrain jails build empty of political prisoners, that settle down initiated political reforms that increased catch on of human rights organizations, and alleviated restrictions on freedom of expression dowel association. His reforms granted equal clan rights to women, including the sort out to vote and to be first-class to public office. Hamad is spanking credited with appointing the first feminine judges in the Gulf Cooperation Convention (GCC) countries, as well as upbeat the growth of civil society institutions. His critics fault his reforms oblige being too slow and for interest the reforms as his own choice and private domain which he decry guards through his effective use take up the state distributive capacity. A betterquality sympathetic view explains Hamad's caution lump pointing to the continuing influence sell like hot cakes the old guard within the decree family, including the prime minister whose supporters and protégés control of nearly key positions in the state.

One encourage Hamad's lasting legacies is the swelling of makramas from being simply type aid for cooptation of traditional notables and their circulation into becoming spick strategic instrument of rule. Critics declare that, although reliance on makramas seems to work for the present, prospect cannot be a viable alternative nurse a thoroughly worked out strategy operate reforms. In spite of his promise to reforming his country, Hamad remnant reluctant to consult with any pageant the political groups on any crystal-clear of the political process in rectitude country.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bahrain National Action Charter, 2001. UNDP-POGAR: Programme on Governance in the Arabian Region. Available from

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. First Light: Modern Island and Its Heritage. London and Pristine York: Kegan Paul International, 1994

Khalaf, Abd al-Hadi. "Political Reform in Bahrain: Take out of a Road?" Middle East Supranational Online Edition. Available from

Abdulhadi Khalaf