Intersections between the local and global: the Bahrain human rights movement

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article examines the relationships between the local human rights movement in Bahrain and global human rights movement. In addition, I argue that the postcoloniality of authoritarian governments in the Gulf region has added further complexities to the relationships between the local human rights movements, international non-governmental organisations and international institutions. Post-colonial authoritarian governments, such as that in Bahrain, have learned how to harness human rights discourse for their own ends. By focusing on these disparate actors and their interactions, this article interrogates the complications and dilemmas that the Bahrain human rights movement faces when acting in the transnational context with the global human rights community.