MUST-READS

• Activists among 457 prisoners released in Bahrain by royal decree

  Scores of prisoners were released from a Bahrain prison on Thursday following a royal pardon of more than 450 inmates, including activists detained during Shia-led protests more than a decade ago.

• Bahrain, Iran edge closer to normalization despite setbacks

  Signaling a promising development in the region’s diplomatic landscape, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdel Latif bin Rashid Al-Zayani flew to Iran in late July to attend the inauguration of new President Masoud Pezeshkian. The visit was Zayani’s third in recent months. After the sudden death of former president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May, the top diplomat appeared in the Iranian capital to convey condolences on the part of Bahrain’s King. The following month, Zayani participated in a Tehran meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).

• Olympic victory of naturalized athlete sparks ‘sportswashing’ debate in Bahrain

  Winfred Yavi, a Bahraini runner of Kenyan origin, has bagged the first gold medal for the island nation at the Paris Olympics. The win has sparked mixed reactions among Bahrainis and the wider Arab world. Some view it as highlighting alleged sportswashing by Manama—a term for when sports are used to improve reputations tarnished by issues such as rights abuses. Others point to a claimed trend of naturalization of foreigners in the Gulf Arab monarchy. The latter is a particularly contentious matter in Bahrain, which has long been criticized for stripping indigenous Bahrainis—particularly dissidents—of their nationality.

• The Evolution of Bahrain’s Post-Pandemic Economic Philosophy

  Governments across the world continue to evolve their approaches regarding how involved they should be to best support the economy based on their own experience and in response to the emergence of new intellectual or academic theories. Bahrain reflects a microcosm of this general trend, as its economic strategy has gradually metamorphosed during the last 30 years. A key feature has been a transition to a more interventionist approach following the state’s successful management of the coronavirus pandemic.

• Bahrain and Iran Aim to Restore Ties

  Bahrain and Iran agreed June 23 to take steps aimed at restoring bilateral diplomatic ties. The tentatively worded statement, issued jointly by both countries’ foreign ministries, came after Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani met with his counterpart, acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, in Tehran on the margins of the Asian Cooperative Dialogue summit. It was Zayani’s second visit to Tehran within a month. Media accounts the following day reported the two sides had agreed to start talks also focused on the release of Iranian funds frozen in Bahrain since the kingdom cut relations in 2016, following attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran after the Saudi execution of opposition Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr on terrorism charges.

• Commentary: Are Iran and Bahrain about to restore diplomatic relations?

  In this discussion about improving ties with neighboring nations, the Bahraini king was not only referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries or Iraq, but also openly referring to his country’s eastern neighbor, the Islamic Republic of Iran. Relations with Iran have been strained in recent years, with security and political concerns causing a diplomatic rift. King Hamad told President Putin on May 23: “We have good relations with all countries. Iran is the only one with which we will work to resolve issues and, in fact, there are no significant problems to mention.” The ruler of Bahrain expressed his wish for “progress in development, trade and overall quality of life.”

• Bahrain signals willingness to join Arab multinational force in Gaza, US official says

  Bahrain has signalled its willingness to be a member of an Arab multinational force that would administer security in Gaza once Israel ends its war on the embattled enclave, a US official familiar with the Biden administration's plans for the region has told Middle East Eye. US officials have made several overtures in recent weeks to see if Bahrain would be a member of the force that will fill the security vacuum in Gaza until a Palestinian governing authority can be formed, the US official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Manama has said it wants to take a bigger role in post-war Gaza's governance, pointing to its position as the fourth country to normalise ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords agreements, the official said.

• Despite backlash, Bahrain goes all in on supercar brand

  Mumtalakat, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, last month expanded its shares to become sole owner of the British McLaren Group. The sports car brand has been facing significant financial uncertainty and recently incurred substantial losses. To Bahrainis, the move is a surprise given their country's own struggling economic climate—including an expected budget deficit of 8.2% of GDP through 2024. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that the size of the island nation’s economy will stand at 17.7B BHD (47.1B USD) this year.

• What does EU visa relaxation for Saudi, Bahraini, Omani citizens mean?

  Under the new rules, Bahraini, Omani and Saudi Arabian nationals will be eligible for multiple-entry visas, allowing them to visit the Schengen area (the EU’s 27 member states as well as Bulgaria and Romania) and move freely between them.

• EU announces five-year Schengen visas for Saudi, Omani and Bahraini citizens

  The Schengen Area, which includes 29 European countries, was expanded last February to include Bulgaria and Romania, eliminating all air and maritime border controls.

  Citizens from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia have been exempted from the UK's pre-entry visa requirements.

  In November, Gulf countries announced plans for a unified tourist visa similar to the Schengen permit in a move to ease travel for residents and tourists.

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