Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa

The Crown Prince of Bahrain, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, is a passionate advocate for education in his country. In 1999, he founded the Crown Prince International Scholarship to give the most dedicated Bahraini high school graduates the opportunity to study at top international universities, specifically selecting outstanding students who would not otherwise have the means to continue their education abroad. A constitutional monarchy, with an elected parliament and an independent judiciary, Bahrain was the first Arab state in the Persian Gulf to allow women the right to vote and hold office. Although it was the first country in the region to discover and export oil, the Kingdom has diversified its economy in recent years, becoming a regional center for banking and media. Prince Salman earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science at American University in Washington, D.C., and an M.Phil. in History and Philosophy at Cambridge University. Following a family tradition of military service, he has risen to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defense Force. The Crown Prince was instrumental in securing a free trade agreement with the United States in 2005, the first such agreement between the U.S. and any of the Gulf states. In this podcast, recorded at the 2006 International Achievement Summit in Los Angeles, California, discusses Bahrain's progress in education and infrastructure, while noting the dangers as well as the benefits of an oil-based economy. He urges the Academy's student delegates to overcome their fears and persevere in the face of adversity.