Bahrain’s New Amir: Sheikh Hamad bin ’Isa Al Khalifa

Because the past two weeks have seen both a new Prime Minister in Jordan and a new ruler in Bahrain, two Profiles appear in this issue. Listening Post, which normally appears on Page 9, will return with the next issue.

The sudden death on March 6 of Sheikh ‘Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, ruler of Bahrain since 1961, catapulted his son and longtime heir, Sheikh Hamad bin ‘Isa, into the rulership. Sheikh Hamad has long been the Crown Prince, and is a well-known figure, though by many accounts not a terribly popular one. (See also the lead story in this issue.)

Hamad was born in al-Rifa‘, Bahrain, on January 28, 1950, the eldest son of Sheikh ‘Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, who from 1961 until his death last weekend ruled Bahrain. Hamad had a traditional primary education at court in the Qur’an, Arabic language, and the principles of Islam, and after concluding his primary education in 1964, became officially Crown Prince in June of that year. He then studied English at a public school in Cambridge, England, returning to Bahrain in 1967. Then he studied military affairs at the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, Hampshire, in 1967-1968. On his return in 1968 he was entrusted with setting up a Bahrain Defense Force in anticipation of British withdrawal from the Gulf in 1971. He headed the Defense Department prior to British withdrawal and, when Bahrain became fully independent in 1971, was its first Minister of Defense. Earlier that year he had completed a course at the US Army’s Command and Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; he also took other military courses in the US and at Sandhurst in the UK, while taking charge of the development of the Bahraini armed forces. He presided over the development of the infant Armed Forces from a small national guard to the present force of more than 10,000. Initially dependent on officers and to some extent men from Jordan and Pakistan, the force is becoming more Bahrainized. Although the Bahraini Armed Forces have not fought any wars, except as part of the Peninsula Shield force fielded by the GCC during the war to drive Iraq from Kuwait, Hamad is credited with creating and maintaining it as a professional force. (A 1986 confrontation with Qatar was defused after Saudi intervention.)

As Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamad has headed many commissions and institutes and served on a variety of commissions, including holding the number two post in the Ruling Family Council, but by all accounts his first love has long been the armed forces, which he commanded following earlier service as Minister of Defense.

Sheikh Hamad’s role in the crackdown on the protests which began in December 1994 is

Sheikh Hamad bin ’Isa Al Khalifa

somewhat controversial. Many in the Shi‘ite opposition see him as a hardliner, unpopular and with a reputation for keeping Shi‘ites out of key Armed Forces and other positions. But some analysts believe he may be more amenable to some liberalization than his late father, or his uncle the Prime Minister (Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman), who has overall control of the internal security forces which have been the actual instrument of repression of the protests, not the armed forces.

In addition to the many institutions he headed as Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamad’s hobbies include the traditional Gulf ruling-class sport of falconry, along with golf, and he is said to enjoy attending both horse and camel races.

On October 9, 1968 Sheikh Hamad married his first cousin. They have three sons, Sheikh Salman (born October 21, 1969), Sheikh ‘Abdullah (born June 30, 1975) and Sheikh Khalifa (born June 4, 1977), and one daughter, Najla’ (born May 20, 1981).

In his first decree as Amir, Sheikh Hamad named his eldest son Salman, now 29, as Crown Prince. That keeps the line of succession in Hamad’s line and could conceivably cause some friction with Hamad’s uncle, Sheikh Khalifa. Sheikh Salman bin Hamad had been serving as Deputy Minister of Defense before his designation as Crown Prince.

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