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In the wake of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report into human rights abuses during the government’s crackdown on protesters, Bahrain has entered a critical phase.

Bahrain is looking to expand its media influence and is lobbying heavily for Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s new Alarab channel to be based in Manama, seeing it as a potential job creator that could help boost the economy.

The much-anticipated Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry’s report into human rights abuses in the country since February contained few major surprises, but acknowledged systematic abuses and presented an important opportunity for change.

It is not just Russian billionaires who have been fighting their business battles in UK courts. Saudi magnate Sheikh Mohammed Bin Issa Al-Jaber (MBI) has failed to get success in the latest round of his High Court battle with South Africa’s Standard Bank, which he accused of a conflict of interest when it recruited his personal adviser Salim Khoury while he was still employed by the tycoon.

King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa has visited Egypt, holding talks with Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi on ways to strengthen relations, the kingdom’s ambassador to Cairo confirmed to Al-Ahram newspaper on 5 November.

The arrest of a UK-based metals magnate for his alleged role in a scam to defraud Bahrain’s industrial flagship Alba of hundreds of millions of dollars provides another window onto the severe governance shortfalls apparent in some major corporates’ business practices

Criticism surrounding the $53m US deal to sell armoured vehicles and military equipment to Bahrain has grabbed the headlines, but it is a drop in the ocean in terms of US arms exports.  

One of the most intriguing stories of Bahrain’s public relations activities is that of Liliane Khalil.  The ‘journalist’, who began writing at the beginning of the Arab Spring, contributed to Egyptian news site Bikya Masr and the notorious and now shut Bahrain Independent, where her ‘exposés’ included an article on the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights’ links to “Iranian-backed terrorist groups”.

Bahrain is scrambling to maintain a respectable media image and stave off potential damage to delicate arms deals and trade agreements in the wake of the Arab spring.   

Following protests beginning in February, the political environment has deteriorated significantly, with an uneasy stalemate between the unlicensed opposition and a regime bolstered by Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) finances and military power.

The storm over comments made by the chair of the body set up to investigate human rights abuses since February, has cast doubts over its credibility. Some observers believe this could work against the interests of the king, who may have a vested interest in the panel digging deep and its findings being deemed credible

Bahraini prime minister Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa in late August called for new measures to combat economic crime in an effort to fight corruption. Local media reported him as saying that establishing an anti-corruption agency was vital to ensure a just economic system.

Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa has been seen in several western capitals (including London in May and Washington in June) over the past few months, but has also been travelling at home.

Bahrain’s National Dialogue concluded on 30 July with three concrete recommendations and a lot more woolly statements presented to King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa (GSN 905/4). If robustly implemented, these measures could eventually lead to more representative, tolerant government and greater transparency, in a system where a wider range of Bahraini voices are heard and officials are brought to account for abuses (with ministers potentially facing Kuwait-style ‘grillings’ in parliament).

Conflicting accounts of the validity and successes of this-four week process abound, with some GSN sources lauding its progress and others doubting its sincerity. But Al-Wefaq’s formal withdrawal on 18 July could sound the death knell for a dialogue that many believed would only ever deliver the shallowest of reform