Bahrain on the brink
Can the monarchy survive this latest round of unrest and what does it all mean for the region?
Events in Tunisia and Egypt have left Arab governments worried and Bahrain’s royal family is no exception.
Days of protests came to a violent head on Thursday when a police crackdown left several people dead and scores injured.
Pro-democracy street agitation is not a stranger to Bahrain – there have been protests gping as far back as the early 1990s with opposition forces demanding that the monarchy make room for a more constitutional framework and a much more democratic polity.
Can the monarchy survive this latest round of unrest and what does it all mean for the region?
Inside Story presenter Divya Gopalan discusses with guests: Saeed al-Shihabi of the Bahrain Freedom Movement; Ibrahim Khayat, the director of the International Centre for Strategic Analysis; and Nabeel Rajab, the vice-president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.
This episode of Inside Story aired on Friday, February 18, 2011.