'File XXII 4 Koweit relations with Bahrain.' [‎48v] (96/106)

3. It would be quite useless were I to make the bold statements above,
had not strong proofs to substantiate them and suggested remedies in different
directions to rectify them. The character and methods of Shaikh ’Isa bin ’Ali
al Khalifah, K.C.S.I., C.S.I., the Ruler of Bahrein, are so well known as hardly
to bear repetition, yet I must perforce give a rousdi sketch of the man so as
to convey the true atmosphere prevailing. Shaikh *Isa is a timid ruler, at the
same time I believe he is a very loyal friend to ourselves and means extremely
well by us. Friendly letter that he writes to myself either personal or for
transmission to His Majesty’s Government give him almost childish pleasure,
and he has been heard on several occasions to tell others of them and boast
about the said friendliness. In opposition to this he is continually attempting
to assert his supposed rights in an illadvised way and to cause small embarrass
ments by puerile methods and easily discernable intentions.
The explanation of such contrary virtues and vices is easy of explanation.
His own personal feelings are undoubtedly of the friendliest nature to ourselves,
those of his advisers by no means unanimous in this respect. Their reasons
for their hostile attitude may be divided into two degrees:—
A ” An honest one, that w r e may ourselves appreciate ;
“ B ” A dishonest one ;
both call for special consideration and different methods of handling.
“ A *’ The honest opposition is based partly on-fear, partly on pride, partly
on suspicion, inherent in Arab minds, and partly on ignorance appalling in
its completeness.
{i) Fear of a great power who has them so completely in its control
makes them anxious to grasp and hold on to what actual freedom and liberty
of action remains to them, with the constant dread that their freedom may be
still further curtailed.
(n) Fride, which is equally part of the Arab character, encourages them
to acts that"will gain them renown, however small, in the eyes of their com
patriots, and makes them equally averse to surrender an action once committed,
or an attitude once assumed. Bride of comparison bears a real part in their
line of thought, that is to say, their own power compared to that exercised by
other Arab rulers, and the fear of loss of prestige in any curtailment of
their powers in the eyes of other rulers.
{Hi) Suspicion, which, as I said above, is an inherent vice or
virtue, depending on the standpoint of regard in the constitution of Arab
minds, and which always exists in the minds of a more or less primitive people,
its degree depending on .the extent of their backwardness, as a wild animal de
pends on suspicion, whilst a domesticated depends on its confidence, for its'com-
fort and well being.
(iv) Ignorance of anything outside their own environment is so astonishing
as to merit a special paragraph to itself, and I will treat this question further
on in this note. But it is a'real and distressing factor with which we have to
deal. All the above are what w’e might call honest drawbacks, which we may
appreciate, sympathize with and gradually remove by personal intercourse,
sympathy, example and tact. The pity of it is that these characteristics are
taken advantage of by those ill-disposed towards and I attribute eighty per cent,
of our difficulties in our relationship with the ruler, and the present low standard
of prestige, as due to them.
B—Dishonest opposition.
This we may take for granted comes in no inconsiderable extent from those
in opposition to Shaikh Isa himself; mainly from his cousins Ali Ibrahim
Rashid the sons of Mahomed al Khalifah who was formerly deposed by us, and
to a certain extent from the heir presumptive. Quite apart from the natural
hostility of the former family to ourselves for ousting their clan (hamoula) from
the succession and their natural rights, it may be easily understood how they would
be only too ready to advise Shaikh ’Isa to take a line of action that will
bring him in opposition to ourselves. For they aim at nothing less than
the deposition of the Shaikh himself, and clumsy diplomats as they are,
they hope and never cease from attempting to accomplish this by trying to