Relationship dossier
Bahrain
Iraq
Relationship assessment
Official cooperation alongside periodic political friction
Bahrain toward Iraq
+5Bahrain received Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in 2021 and concluded agreements with Iraq covering areas including trade and investment. Bahrain's relationship with Iraq has also been affected by political disagreements, including Iraq's criticism of Bahrain's handling of the 2011 protests.
Iraq toward Bahrain
+5Iraq sent Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to Bahrain in 2021, where the two governments concluded agreements covering areas including trade and investment. Iraq also criticized Bahrain's handling of the 2011 protests, creating political friction.
Overall relationship
+5The relationship includes practical government engagement, exemplified by the 2021 prime ministerial visit and agreements, but has also experienced political disputes, including Iraq's criticism of Bahrain's response to the 2011 protests. These features point to a mixed relationship with modest cooperation rather than a close partnership or sustained confrontation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bahrain and Iraq have pursued official engagement, including a 2021 visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to Bahrain and agreements covering areas such as trade and investment. Relations have also faced political friction, notably over Iraq's criticism of Bahrain's handling of the 2011 protests. The relationship combines concrete cooperation with periodic disagreement.
Areas of tension
- Iraq criticized Bahrain's handling of the 2011 protests.
Key developments
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited Bahrain, and the governments announced agreements covering areas including trade and investment.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and lasting effects of the agreements announced during the 2021 visit are unclear.
- The extent of continuing government-level cooperation across trade, investment, and other sectors is unclear.