Among the Gulf states, did you know that Bahrain has a unique societal composition? The kingdom of Bahrain, which stems from the Arabic translation of “two seas,” has a Shia-majority population governed by a Sunni elite. Bahrain’s political system comprises the ruling Al-Khalifa family and a bicameral National Assembly composed of an elected lower house and an appointed upper house. How does its societal configuration affect governance? How far do the legislative powers of its parliament extend?

The Bahraini economy underwent a profound transformation during the 20^th century with the discovery and development of its hydrocarbon reserves. Today, in the 21^st century, the time has come for a new transformation in response to economic and geopolitical changes in the world order. What are the primary challenges that have emerged during this period of transition?

The Middle East Institute (NUS) will welcome speakers from Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), who will describe the government’s evolving economic strategy and also discuss the political transformations under King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa who has reigned since 2002.

Speaker: Dr Omar Al-Ubaydli, Director of Research, Derasat, Bahrain and Dr Hamad Ebrahim Al-Abdulla, Executive Director, Derasat, Bahrain

Dr Omar Al-Ubaydli is the Director of Research at Derasat, Bahrain. He is also an affiliated Associate Professor of economics at George Mason University; an affiliated Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center;  Adjunct Visiting Professor at the King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals; a Non-resident Fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and a Non-resident Fellow at TRENDS Research & Advisory, UAE.
His research interests include political economy, experimental economics and the economics of the GCC countries.

Dr Al-Ubaydli previously served as a member of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Joint Advisory Board of Economists and a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. He regularly publishes his research in international peer-reviewed academic journals and his mainstream media articles appear in Arabic and English-language newspapers and blogs.

Dr Hamad Ebrahim Al-Abdulla is the Executive Director at Derasat, Bahrain. Before his appointment there in 2020, he was assistant professor of modern and contemporary history at the social sciences department, college of arts, University of Bahrain since 2017. Prior to that, he worked as a media specialist at the General Secretariat for the Gulf Co-operation Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Over the years, he has published a number of works including pieces on Bahrain, Gulf historiography, medical missions and the challenges of formal education in the region. Dr Al-Abdulla received his BSc and MA in Mass Communication, followed by a PhD in History from the University of East Anglia in the UK in 2016.

For the reading materials for this session, please click here.

No audio and video recording will be available for this.