Democracy and Reform in the Middle East and Asia - Essay Example

The rise of sectarianism in both Bahrain and Kuwait is firmly held in the venerable problems of governance and the elite manipulation of the Sunni and Shiite identities. Massive loss of lives in the Gulf region has been as a result of the deep religious differences between these two sects. The re-emergence of identity politics in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia has left in its tail worrying number of deaths in close by countries and the continued manipulation of the identity by the ruling families might degenerate into violence in these countries.

According to Saikal and Acharya (7), during the spring, protesters in Bahrain were quelled through manipulation of the sectarian divide. The stability of the political system in Saudi Arabia on the other hand ensured that the protests were unheard of in the monarchial state. Interests in the sectarianism politics in the region has aroused a lot of interest; particularly, the causes and the manner in which it continues to shape politics in the two countries.