Bahrain PM Prince Khalifa, In Office Since 1970, Passes Away

Prime Minister of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa passed away on 11 November according to an official statement from the Royal Court.

• Prince Khalifa was viewed as a shrewd and effective prime minister, although his harsh treatment of political opponents and Shia Muslims earned him a reputation as a brutal administrator. While his brother, the late Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and Sheik Isa's son King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa have performed largely ceremonial and diplomatic duties as the head of state, it was Prince Khalifa that ran domestic policy and the island's economy.
• The passing of Prince Khalifa means something of a power vacuum in the Bahraini leadership. Even though Prince Khalifa was viewed as a hardliner domestically, in foreign policy he was a close ally of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and was a part of the team led by US President Donald Trump that formalised relations between Bahrain and Israel as part of the Abraham Accords.
• Bahrain is a close ally to the US, and is the permanent base of the US Fifth Naval Fleet, and as such a crucial actor in Middle Eastern politics and security relations.
• A change in leadership is unlikely to see any notable change in the Kingdom's relationship with the US or other Western allies.