The Crown Prince of Bahrain, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, will soon be in Washington. He is looking to complete major trade pacts that will enhance economic prosperity on both sides between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States. This week’s visit is meant to set off a chain reaction of highly-profitable agreements. Bahrain has been very aggressive courting global technology players such as Oracle and Cisco to develop its technological backbone.
On this delegation, Bahrain will be replacing their Chinese server systems with Cisco. This joint development agreement is further evidence of Bahrain’s aggressive desire to cultivate stronger relationships with American technology suppliers. We can expect the Crown Prince to oversee the signing of a big agreement between Gulf Air and Boeing firm. When fully phased in, this deal will be about $7 billion. This agreement includes an initial firm order for 12 aircraft with an option to purchase six more. It accounts for the sale of 40 GE engines, further solidifying Bahrain’s commitment to investing in the US aerospace sector.
For Bahrain, this is an important opportunity to greatly expand its investments in a wide range of American industries, especially those dealing in energy, technology and manufacturing. The Crown Prince has already promised to invest more than $17 billion in the United States. He is redirecting tens of billion into other sectors. The Trump administration expects a major economic return on these investments. They further estimate that this will lead to the creation of new US jobs—about 30,000 of them.
That all changed with a big step forward. Bahrain is likely to pursue the development of commercial nuclear capabilities under one of the Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) signed during this visit. This initiative is in keeping with Bahrain’s wider efforts to diversify its energy sources and develop its technological framework.
Bahrain has taken steps of its own to bolster its economic relationship with the U.S. At the same time, the Crown Prince drew international attention by declaring that the Kingdom would not provide Ukraine with Patriot missiles. This decision illustrates Bahrain’s pragmatic diplomatic calculus as it navigates complex and evolving geopolitical tensions.
In fact, the King of Bahrain is scheduled to visit Washington in the coming months. This trip speaks volumes about the deepening bond between the two countries. As recently as last week, Crown Prince Salman called Bahrain a “great partner” in his joint meeting with former President Trump. He underscored the excellent collaboration that has taken seed in recent years.
These intriguing investments from Bahrain would continue a legacy that the Crown Prince claims to feel proud of cultivating. The agreements finalized during this visit represent a significant step toward enhancing bilateral relations and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a key partner in the region.
