Increase in population throughout the Gulf. In Qatar, the population rose from about 100,000 to 230,000, more than half of whom were resident aliens. The number of inhabitants of Bahrain nearly doubled, from 216,000 to 416,000. In the United Arab Emirates, the population grew rapidly from 320,000 to 1.6 million, about two-thirds of whom were foreign workers.
Dissolution of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, which had shown more independence than the government was willing to tolerate. The constitution was subsequently revised, and new elections were finally held in 1981.
Establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The organization was intended to promote the common economic interests of the Gulf; but in the shadow of the Iran-Iraq War, it assumed more importance as a political and military alliance.
Dissolution of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, which had again proven to be much less pliable than the government had hoped. By the 1980s, religious fundamentalists had replaced radical secularists as the main opponents of the regime.
Opening of a causeway linking Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. The primary purpose of the road, a four-lane highway wide enough to accommodate tanks, was defense. The Sunni authorities in Bahrain, who had quelled an attempted coup in 1981, had little confidence in the island's Shi’ites, who made up 70 percent of the population. The causeway was designed as a ready channel of Saudi assistance during emergencies.
