| Summary: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === The Persian Gulf region is the single largest source of fossil fuels in the world, which emphasizes its importance as the most strategically important waterway in the world. A bridge between East and West, the region facilitates contact between nations by providing energy and power through oil and gas exports to the industrial world at large. Countries bordering the shores of the Persian Gulf therefore play a vital role in maintaining balance of power and world peace through bilateral relations and beyond. Bahrain’s journey until the middle of twentieth century has been more adventurous due to its small size and strategic central location, which served as an invitation to foreign powers, rulers and regional empires to exercise their own influence whenever they chose to do so. Oil-rich Iran, with the stature of an empire on the other hand, has been more stable throughout. The differences between these two countries lies in ethnic makeup of the two nations, which is the bone of contention between the two neighbors. This thesis explores relationship and interaction between modern-day Kingdom of Bahrain and Islamic Republic of Iran, two vitally important countries, by tracing their background and cultural ties through the pages of history.
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