Ivanka Trump's Bahrain Visit: Exploring Diplomatic Relations

Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald Trump, was involved in a plan to bring peace to the Middle East during her father's first term in office. Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner proposed that their friends in Bahrain, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates open diplomatic relations with Israel. This plan was initially dismissed as childish by the State Department, but ultimately almost all accepted the proposal.

Ivanka Trump's fashion line

Trump's fashion company was independently run and separate from her family's real estate business. In 2007, she formed a partnership with diamond vendor Moshe Lax's company, Dynamic Diamond Corp., to create Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry. The line was sold at her flagship store in Manhattan, which moved from Madison Avenue to a larger space in SoHo in 2011.

Trump's fashion brand was met with both success and criticism. Her jewelry was worn by celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna, and the brand was named "Launch of the Year" in 2010 by Footwear News. However, the brand also faced criticism for using rabbit fur and was involved in a design infringement lawsuit with Aquazzura Italia SRL, which was later settled.

In 2017, Trump closed down her fashion company and separated herself from her business affiliations at the Trump Organization after she moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as a senior advisor to her father, former U.S. President Donald Trump. She cited her decision to pursue a career in public policy as the reason for shutting down her fashion business.

Ivanka's role in her father's administration

Ivanka Trump, the daughter of former US President Donald Trump, played a significant role in her father's administration. She served as a senior advisor to the President from 2017 to 2021 and was also the director of the Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship.

Prior to joining her father's administration, Ivanka was an executive vice president of the Trump Organization and a boardroom judge on her father's TV show, The Apprentice. She left the Trump Organization in March 2017 to become a senior advisor in her father's administration, alongside her husband, Jared Kushner. Ivanka was part of the President's inner circle before becoming an official employee.

During the early months of her father's administration, commentators compared Ivanka's role to that of Julie Nixon Eisenhower, daughter of President Richard Nixon. Ivanka defended her father and his administration against various allegations.

In addition to her role as senior advisor, Ivanka was appointed "First Daughter and Advisor to the President" in March 2017. She also became the head of the newly established Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship. Ivanka did not receive a salary or government health benefits during her four years at the White House.

In 2017, Ivanka travelled to Germany for the G20 Summit with her father and the US delegation. She also led a US delegation to India to support women's entrepreneurship and delivered an anti-human trafficking speech at the UN General Assembly. In 2019, she participated in talks between her father and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inside the Korean peninsula's demilitarized zone.

Ivanka also had her own business ventures, including a fashion line and a fine jewelry brand. However, she faced criticism for conflicts of interest as she retained ownership of these businesses while serving in her father's administration. In 2018, she shut down her company to pursue a career in public policy.

In 2022, Ivanka announced that she would not be involved in politics moving forward, choosing to prioritise her family and private life.

Bahrain's economy

Bahrain has heavily invested in the banking and tourism sectors since the late 20th century, with many large financial institutions having a presence in the country's capital, Manama. Bahrain's finance industry is very successful, and the country was named the world's fastest-growing financial centre by the City of London's Global Financial Centres Index in 2008. Bahrain's banking and financial services sector, particularly Islamic banking, have benefited from the regional boom driven by demand for oil.

Bahrain's other exports include aluminium, finance, and construction materials. Bahrain's gross international reserves increased substantially in 2004 to US$1.6 billion, up from US$1.4 billion in the previous three years. Bahrain's GDP grew by 2.45% in 2023, with the non-oil sector showing a robust increase of 4.48%, indicating the country's successful efforts towards economic diversification.

Bahrain's port of Mina Salman is the country's main seaport, and Bahrain International Airport is the main international airport, located on the island of Muharraq. Bahrain has a universal healthcare system, and government-provided healthcare is free to Bahraini citizens and subsidised for non-Bahrainis.

Bahrain's security architecture

Bahrain is pushing for a new security architecture in the Middle East, which includes Israel, a country with which it did not have an official relationship two years ago. This new security architecture is based on the following principles and beliefs:

• Cooperation among the parties is based on the principle of full respect for the independence and sovereignty of each of the parties, and full respect for obligations of the parties under international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
• Cooperation among the parties is intended to bolster Middle East regional security, stability, and prosperity by enhancing deterrence and defense integration and interoperability.
• The parties' cooperation in the areas of defense and security is based on their shared commitment to stability and peace in the Middle East region.
• It is the policy of the parties to work together to help deter and confront any external aggression against the territorial integrity of any of the parties.
• Any external aggression or threat of external aggression against the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of any of the parties shall be a matter of grave concern to the other parties.
• In the event of external aggression or the threat of external aggression against one party, the parties shall, in accordance with their respective constitutions and laws, immediately meet at the most senior levels to determine additional defense needs and to develop and implement appropriate defense and deterrent responses.
• The parties stand ready to immediately share available and appropriate information and intelligence in response to such an event.

In addition to the above, Bahrain is also strengthening its cyber security capabilities and has signed a Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement with the United States.

Bahrain's history

Bahrain is a small Arab state situated in a bay on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Island and about 30 smaller islands. Its name is derived from the Arabic term "al-baḥrayn", meaning "two seas". Bahrain has been inhabited since ancient times and was a central location of the Dilmun civilization.

Bahrain has been ruled by various groups, including the Persians, Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Portuguese, Arabs, and the British. In 1783, the Bani Utbah and allied tribes captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur, and it has been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family ever since, with Ahmed al-Fateh as Bahrain's first hakim.

In the late 1800s, Bahrain became a protectorate of the British Empire and remained so until it gained independence in 1971. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a semi-constitutional monarchy in 2002.

Bahrain has a rich history and has played an important role as a trading hub and centre of civilization in the region.

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