Island economy booming In the build up to November 25 parliamentary elections, Bahrainis’ attention has been focused on the state of the kingdom’s economy—and wrenching social changes to the kingdom’s gender balance in government.In the social arena, Bahrain will have its first female deputy after the election. This is known before a single ballot has been cast, given that Lateefa al-Geood is unchallenged in her bid for a seat in parliament. Reformists have broadly welcomed her accomplishment, but some women’s activists have expressed some discomfort given the way in which she will win her seat.On the economic front, the recently-published World Investment Report 2006 indicated that last year, Bahrain had the fourth-highest outflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) of any country in the West Asian region.With over $1 billion in outflow for the kingdom, only the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia recorded higher outward FDI. This placed the kingdom within
