Open for Business

Through this recent, and current, economic crisis, there have been a few key lessons learned.  One of them is that people now realize how they are connected.  What happens in the East affects what happens in the West, and vice versa.  Another great lessons is that of networking marketing.  If you eat at a good restaurant, you will tell others about it, and they will eat there as well.  The last lesson that I want to highlight is loyalty.  If you are loyal to someone or something, that person will in turn be loyal to you.

With the relationship strengthening between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States, we see all three of these lessons in their application stage.
A Free Trade Agreement was signed on September 14, 2004, ratified on December 7, 2005, and implemented on August 1, 2006.  It is aimed at stimulating flow of private investment between the two countries.  There are a few key investments that each country makes in the other that have benefited from this act.
The Kingdom of Bahrain is rich in oil.  The United States has a strong dependence upon foreign oil.  However, there are some countries that the US does not have good relations with, that are oil rich.  Therefore, the US depends greatly upon the good relationship with Bahrain in order to obtain oil.
 Bahrain also enjoys a free market economy.  In fact, they are recognized as the greatest free market economy country in the Middle East, and the tenth freest in the world.  With that type of economy, US businesses can be established and flourish.  American companies can take advantage of this by establishing businesses in Bahrain, even registering their business there, and being allowed on the Stock Exchange in order to raise capital.  In exchange for this opportunity, the US brings income into Bahrain as businesses operate there, and the people are employed.
This is a true win-win situation, and another reason that the relationship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States is so important not only to these two countries, but to the world.