In order to grasp why things went so wrong in Bahrain, it helps to
look at the other four variables beside political pressure (which was
plentiful). Together, the four created negative conditions that pro-DPM
pressure could not overcome. The Khalifas, Bahrain’s dynastic ruling
family, come from the Sunni minority. The same hard-line, Saudialigned
family member—he is the current Bahraini king’s uncle—has
been prime minister since 1970. He opposed the reform movement
and the protests, in both of which Shias figured prominently. With the
king’s backing, Khalifa relatives fill nearly half the 25 cabinet posts and
head every one of the power ministries. There have been relatively few
cabinet ministers from Bahrain’s Shia majority; certainly none has ever
held a power portfolio. The security establishment is firmly in royal and
Sunni hands; its commander (another Khalifa) was one of those in ruling
cirlces who argued for repression and against accommodation