The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Bahrain’s Prince Khalifa, aged 84
Bah rain’ s Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, one of the world’s longestserving prime ministers, has died at the age of 84.
He led his island nation’s government for decades and survived the 2011 Arab Spring protests that demanded his removal over corruption allegations.
Bahrain’s state-run news agency announced his death, saying he had been receiving treatment at the Mayo Clinic, without elaborating.
Prince Khalifa’s power and wealth could be seen everywhere in the small nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
His official portrait hung for decades on walls alongside the country’s ruler, and he had his own private island where he met foreign dignitaries, complete with a marina and a park with peacocks and gazelle roaming its grounds.
The prince represented an older style of Gulf leadership, which granted patronage and favours for support of the Sunni Al Khalifa family.
That style was challenged in the 2011 protests by the island’s Shiite majority and others, who demonstrated against him over long running corruption allegations surrounding his rule.
Though less powerful and frailer in recent years, his machinations still drew attention in the kingdom as a new generation jostled for power.
“K halifa bin Salman represented the old guard in more ways than just age and seniority,” said Kristin Smith Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Washingtonbased Arab Gulf States Institute.
Prince Khalifa was born into the Al Khalifa dynasty that for more than two centuries has ruled Bahrain, an island in the Persian Gulf whose name in Arabic means the “two seas”.
The son of former ruler Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who ruled from 1942 to 1961, the prince learned governance at his father’s side as the island remained a British protectorate.
Prince Khalifa’s brother, Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, took power in 1961 and served as monarch when Bahrain gained its independence from Britain in 1971.
Under an informal arrangement, Sheikh Isa handled the island ’s diplomacy and ceremonial duties, while Prince Khalifa ran the government and economy.
Prince Khalifa was married and has three surviving children, sons Ali and Salman and daughter Lulwa. Another son, Mohammed, died previously.