91福利社

Back in 2011 the small Gulf state of Bahrain seemed to be on the brink of tumultuous change. The ruling Al Khalifa family faced unprecedented street protests and demands for democratic reform. Bahrain's security forces cracked down hard - political battle lines between government and opposition were drawn. Two and a half years on, has the Bahraini monarchy learnt lessons and weathered the storm? HARDtalk speaks to Ala'a al-Shehabi, an activist with the campaigning group Bahrain Watch. Is there a middle ground between the status quo and revolution?