Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Claire Beaugrand, a researcher at the French Institute of the Near East, presented a research paper entitled, "Bahraini Activism in Exile: Legacies and Revolutionary Ruptures" on Wednesday (June 3, 2015) during a seminar entitled "Social Movements and Popular Mobilisation in the Middle East and North Africa" held by the London School of Economics and Political Science, chaired by Dr. John Chalcraft.

This research examines the forms of opposition and advocacy that were built on previous exile experiences, focusing on a new generation of opponents that includes children of political exiles and long-time expatriates in Bahrain.

In her research, Beaugrand highlights that "Bahrain has had a long history of exiling its opponents as a way to regulate political dissent. The 2011 political uprising in Bahrain marked a new phase in the history of Bahraini outmigration and exile politics," adding that "the brutal repression with which the protest movement was met (particularly from March to July 2011) led to a new wave of political exile, affecting a wider range of socio-economic categories."

Beaugrand's study is based on researches and interviews with Bahraini dissents including journalists and former members of parliament.

Claire Beaugrand joined the Institut Français du Proche Orient (IFPO) in Jerusalem in June 2013 after working as a Gulf Senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, where she covered the Bahrain's political deadlock. Since then, her research focuses on the Gulf investment policies, their rationale and articulation with aid programs in Palestine.

The Arabic Issue