Bahrain Enters the Political Solution Phase

Dialogue and national reconciliation are the only solution to the crisis in Bahrain. The Crown Princes’ initiative was not given the opportunity to succeed because of the security situation inside the country. Since then security has been restored, and the time has come for a political process to take place.

The security measures alone cannot replace the need for a political solution, which is the guarantor for stability. This is due to the fact that security measures are primarily concerned with the restoration of the rule of law, and will not provide a comprehensive solution to the political crisis. The crisis may temporarily calm down only to explode in the future.

Resolving the current political problems requires a stable environment so that a long-term political solution is reached. This will stabilize the state and give time for recovery from the repercussions of the crisis.

It can now be said that Bahrain is ready for a political solution since the state of emergency is lifted, coupled with the King’s initiative with regards to dialogue and national reconciliation. This shows that Bahrain has entered a new post-security phase where life is expected to go back to normal and different political language and tools are used.

Some has not yet recognized the fact that Bahrain has entered a new phase of tolerance, dialogue, rationality, national reconciliation and trust, which would hopefully heal the sectarian division. Their failure to understand this new reality would probably lead to calls for the extension of the state of emergency and the adoption of a divisive rhetoric, which undermine the national dialogue.

The overdependence on security measures will undermine the national dialogue and will not end the crisis. It will lead to a fragile stability without solving the root of the problem. The security solution might solve 10% or 20% of the problem, but the rest can only be solved by reaching a political consensus. This is due to the fact that the root of the problem is political and hence political tools should be used to deal with it.

One can also say that the security solution in Bahrain has reached its peak. In order to achieve real stability in the long-term, the national dialogue initiative represents the perfect remedy for the longstanding problems. This can only be achieved through negotiation, reconciliation, shared interests and promotion of social cohesion.