Icarus, I commend you for what you said about the Bahrainies who work hard and deserve to be invested in. In my humble opinion, bringing in expats does not always mean things will get better. I hear GF is bringing a lot of expats in these days and paying them salaries through the roof (so much for cost cutting measures such as early retirement), while some of the locals who are paid next to nothing, work their a** off and deserve a shot at a promotion are being left out (mind you, I am not sure or familiar about the exact number of such people). I find that sad. I am all for bringing in an expat if there is no fully qualified local within the company who can truly take up a certain position.