What the Gulf Ruling Familes Do When They Rule

This essay argues that Gulf monarchies have, hitherto, managed to maintain stability of their regimes. This was made possible by the extraordinary financial and political resources that enabled the Gulf states of combing traditional despotism with the powers of modern welfare states. The geo-political context within which they have operated has changed considerably, albeit gradually during the past decade or so. The Gulf ruling families’ remarkable capacity to mobilise external and internal sources of power seems to have also reached its limits. Gulf ruling families are facing some unprecedented demands by domestic and external actors for political and economic reforms. Uncharacteristically, the most vocal actors are several of the previously marginalized elite groups that feel emboldened by the ramifications of political developments since 1990 and particularly since September 11, 2001. There is a growing awareness among important members of the Gulf ruling families that their survival requires introducing some real, albeit painful, reforms. Political reforms in Bahrain since 2000 present a model for the kind of measures that do not require the ruling families to give up any of their privileges including their control over economic resources and political institutions as well as their command over the armed forces and the security apparatuses