Legacy and Death
During his 38 years as Emir, the economic transformation of Bahrain into a modern nation and a key financial center in the Persian Gulf took place. Nevertheless, critics note that he also dissolved Parliament, giving absolute power to the royal family.
Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa died on March 6, 1999 at the al-Sakhir Palace. US President Bill Clinton expressed "deep sadness" at the news of the emir's death calling him "a good friend of peace." UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also expressed "great sadness," and described the emir as "a force for stability" in the region. He was buried at the Al-Rifa'a cemetery.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Read more about this topic: Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa
Famous quotes containing the words legacy and/or death:
“What is popularly called fame is nothing but an empty name and a legacy from paganism.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)
“To fear death, my friends, is only to think ourselves wise, without being wise: for it is to think that we know what we do not know. For anything that men can tell, death may be the greatest good that can happen to them: but they fear it as if they knew quite well that it was the greatest of evils. And what is this but that shameful ignorance of thinking that we know what we do not know?”
—Socrates (469–399 B.C.)