Bahrain: The Tiny Island Playing a Big Role in the Middle East | WSJ Coordinates

Who speaks in this episode?

• Unidentified WSJ Coordinates Narrator/Reporter (Host) · 4 min speaking
• Brad Cooper (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Unidentified U.S. Navy service member (shipboard quote) (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Unidentified official/advocate of Abraham Accords (quote) (Guest) · 1 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Bahrain, Israel, Saudi Arabia, US military
2. 3:00 – 5:46: Bahrain, Abraham Accords, Israel, Saudi Arabia

Notable quotes from "Bahrain: The Tiny Island Playing a Big Role in the Middle East | WSJ Coordinates"

• This is Manama the capital of Bahrain it's a relatively Progressive and evolving Metropolis in the Arab world and it's also a critical location for the US military we could not do what we.

  about Bahrain · at 0:00

• The world Bahrain is an island nation in the middle of the gulf nearby our oil and gas Rich neighbors Saudi Arabia Kuwait Iraq Iran the UAE and Qatar the region contains an…

  about Saudi Arabia · at 0:46

• Efforts across the middle east in 2020 it signed on to the U.S brokered Abraham Accords along with Israel and the United Arab Emirates since then Morocco and Sudan have also…

  about Israel · at 1:49

• Airport the gulf's largest Exhibition Center and a new Amphitheater near its existing Formula One Track our population is one and a half million if we welcome 12 14 million…

  about Formula One Track · at 4:32

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Vice Admiral Brad Cooper — Person · 1 mention · first at 1:23
  World so keeping a stability and ensuring Maritime security here is job one for us from the Basin Bahrain vice admiral Brad Cooper commands U.S naval forces in the Middle East…

Companies & orgs

• US military — Company · 2 mentions · first at 0:11
  Evolving Metropolis in the Arab world and it's also a critical location for the US military we could not do what we do without them Bahrain might be a small country in the…

Concepts & topics

• Abraham Accords — Concept · 3 mentions · first at 1:51
  Also become a key player in diplomatic efforts across the middle east in 2020 it signed on to the U.S brokered Abraham Accords along with Israel and the United Arab Emirates…

Places & events

• Bahrain — Place · 12 mentions · first at 0:01
• Saudi Arabia — Place · 4 mentions · first at 0:51
• Israel — Place · 4 mentions · first at 1:54
• Manama — Place · 1 mention · first at 0:01
  This is Manama the capital of Bahrain it's a relatively Progressive and evolving Metropolis in the Arab world and it's also a critical location for the US military we could not do what we.
• Persian Gulf — Place · 1 mention · first at 0:34
  Start with bahrain's importance globally I am on a U.S military ship in the Persian Gulf right off the coast of Bahrain and this is where the U.S Navy is headquartered in the…
• Kuwait — Place · 1 mention · first at 0:53
  The middle of the gulf nearby our oil and gas Rich neighbors Saudi Arabia Kuwait Iraq Iran the UAE and Qatar the region contains an estimated 50 percent of the world's proven…
• United Arab Emirates — Place · 1 mention · first at 1:54
  Efforts across the middle east in 2020 it signed on to the U.S brokered Abraham Accords along with Israel and the United Arab Emirates since then Morocco and Sudan have also…
• Morocco — Place · 1 mention · first at 1:55
  It signed on to the U.S brokered Abraham Accords along with Israel and the United Arab Emirates since then Morocco and Sudan have also joined how Nations join the path of peace…
• Formula One Track — Place · 1 mention · first at 4:37
• Causeway — Place · 1 mention · first at 5:11
  Movies and possibly even wine bars Bahrain in Saudi are linked by this Causeway which is just 15 miles long it's bahrain's only land connection to the outside world and…
• Iran — Place · 1 mention
• Iraq — Place · 1 mention
• Qatar — Place · 1 mention
• Strait of Hormuz — Place · 1 mention
• Sudan — Place · 1 mention
• UAE — Place · 1 mention

Full transcript with timestamps

0:01 this is Manama the capital of Bahrain it's a relatively Progressive and evolving Metropolis in the Arab world and it's also a critical location for the US military we could not do what we do without them Bahrain might be a small country in the region but it plays a huge role when it comes to peace efforts in the Middle East and security efforts for countries around the world so here's how the island Kingdom came to play an important role on the global stage let's start with bahrain's importance globally I am on a U.S military ship in the Persian Gulf right off the coast of Bahrain and this is where the U.S Navy is headquartered in the Middle East when you get out on the water you start to see oil infrastructure a reminder of why this region is critically important to the world Bahrain is an island nation in the middle of the gulf nearby our oil and gas Rich neighbors Saudi Arabia Kuwait Iraq Iran the UAE and Qatar the

0:57 region contains an estimated 50 percent of the world's proven oil reserves and the street of Hormuz a few hundred miles from bahrain's coast is considered the world's most important choke point when it comes to oil shipping that means Security in this region is a vital interest to many countries around the world including the United States this region literally and figuredly fuels the world so keeping a stability and ensuring Maritime security here is job one for us from the Basin Bahrain vice admiral Brad Cooper commands U.S naval forces in the Middle East and the biggest Naval Coalition in the world made up of 34 countries one of the Admiral's big initiatives building out the world's first International Fleet of unmanned vessels in large part to counter Iranian activity and he says Bahrain was the Navy's first Regional partner in those efforts Bahrain has also become a key player in diplomatic

1:49 efforts across the middle east in 2020 it signed on to the U.S brokered Abraham Accords along with Israel and the United Arab Emirates since then Morocco and Sudan have also joined how Nations join the path of peace and the Kingdom of Bahrain is really one of the Pioneers in this process the signing of the Accords normalized relations between Israel and some of its Regional neighbors for the first time ever and it paved the way for the countries to open embassies participate in military exercises and sign free trade agreements since the Accords were signed bahrain's government has welcomed visits by Israeli leaders and even the Pope a big reason why bahrain's participation has been so important is the kingdom has close ties with neighboring Saudi Arabia which has long claimed to lead the Muslim world officials say Saudi okay to bahrain's deal with Israel even though it didn't address statehood for Palestinians and

2:45 that signaled a Monumental shift in the region Bahrain is also seen as a gateway to the Saudi market for businesses which was expected to be a big deal because the Accords opened the door for more trade ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors but here's the thing ties between Israel and Bahrain have been slower to advance compared to relations between Israel and the UAE and polls show that support for the Abraham Accords has dropped throughout the region now government officials and Business Leaders we've been talking to acknowledge they have to build on the progress that's been made in order for everyday citizens to feel the benefits of the Accords so how is Bahrain hoping to reap more economic benefits from the Abraham Accords like other Gulf countries bahrain's economic prospects rise and fall with oil prices but it has built out other sectors and today Bahrain is considered the most

3:35 Diversified economy in the region according to the government financial services accounts for more than 17 percent of the country's GDP slightly more than crude petroleum and natural gas at 16.2 percent by comparison crude petroleum and natural gas account for about 35 percent of Saudi Arabia's GDP now following the Abraham Accords Bahrain is working to attract more investment from the U.S Israel and Beyond as it works to continue growing its non-oil sectors during a rare visit to the Royal Palace which we could photograph but not film the country's Finance Minister Sheikh Salman binhalifa al-halifa said Bahrain has what he calls small country Advantage which has helped the kingdom move quickly on economic reforms Bahrain has also been making an effort to boost tourism and capitalize on being an island with water in the Middle East to increase the number of nights that tourists stay and the amount

4:29 of money that they spend the country has opened a billion dollar International Airport the gulf's largest Exhibition Center and a new Amphitheater near its existing Formula One Track our population is one and a half million if we welcome 12 14 million tourists a year that's significant but Bahrain faces challenges close by the country is off Often overshadowed by its larger neighbors who have built flashy Islands announced futuristic cities and hosted massive sporting events that includes Qatar which Bahrain has icy relations with and perhaps most critically neighboring Saudi Arabia has begun to liberalize allowing music festivals movies and possibly even wine bars Bahrain in Saudi are linked by this Causeway which is just 15 miles long it's bahrain's only land connection to the outside world and currently a majority of bahrain's tourists come from Saudi to enjoy things that aren't allowed back home like alcohol as Saudi

5:25 liberalizes will they still be coming to Bahrain we're confident that growth and development is Saudi is a benefit for all of us in this region what really happens is the pie becomes bigger and everybody's individual slice of the pie continues to get bigger foreign

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Bahrain: The Tiny Island Playing a Big Role in the Middle East | WSJ Coordinates"?

Unidentified WSJ Coordinates Narrator/Reporter (Host), Brad Cooper (Guest), Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa (Guest), Unidentified U.S. Navy service member (shipboard quote) (Guest), Unidentified official/advocate of Abraham Accords (quote) (Guest).

What is discussed in "Bahrain: The Tiny Island Playing a Big Role in the Middle East | WSJ Coordinates"?

In order: 0:00 Bahrain, Israel, Saudi Arabia, US military; 3:00 Bahrain, Abraham Accords, Israel, Saudi Arabia.

What is mentioned in this The Wall Street Journal episode?

19 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Abraham Accords, US military, Manama. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Bahrain: The Tiny Island Playing a Big Role in the Middle East | WSJ Coordinates"?

The episode runs 6 min; the transcript is about 990 words in 7 timestamped sections.

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