TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

THE END OF LAST YEAR BROUGHT an unpleasant jolt to the states of the region, with the uncovering of a subversive group which allegedly planned to overthrow the regime in Bahrain and carry out sabotage in other Gulf countries. Until then, the security concerns of the Gulf had centred around preoccupations that the area could become a confrontation ground for super-power rivalries but, suddenly, questions of internal security and stability are given a greater sense of immediacy and importance.