![An anti-government protester holding a Molotov cocktail in his hand waits before clashes with riot police in the village of Sanabis, west of Manama February 14, 2013. REUTERS/ Hamad I Mohammed (BAHRAIN - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3DSHE](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/04/1-RTR3DSHE.jpg/1-RTR3DSHE.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=ai9lzAmj)
Michael Stephens is a researcher with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) based in Doha and a columnist for OpenDemocracy's Arab Awakening programme. His focus is on the Gulf states, Syria and the state of Israel, with an academic interest in Shia political identity in the Arab world. On Twitter: @MStephensgulf
![An anti-government protester holding a Molotov cocktail in his hand waits before clashes with riot police in the village of Sanabis, west of Manama February 14, 2013. REUTERS/ Hamad I Mohammed (BAHRAIN - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3DSHE](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/04/1-RTR3DSHE.jpg/1-RTR3DSHE.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=ai9lzAmj)