ChChapter 2: Origins and influences of nationality law on citizenship policy, a recurring theme has been how the granting or withdrawal of nationality might affect the demographic make-up of the population and whether this could serve to undermine the delicate political framework. It is against this very backdrop that many thousands have faced a wall of exclusion and been left to battle for survival as stateless people in Lebanon. Moreover, the same concerns surrounding any potential impact on the demographic make-up of the country have formed and continue to form an insurmountable hurdle in any effort to amend Lebanon’s nationality law, such that it remains virtually unchanged since first adopted by the French High Commissioner in 1925.91 The careful monitoring and manipulation of the confessional mix through decisions on nationality is also reportedly one of the driving factors behind policy in Bahrain. It has been reported that “efforts to naturalise stateless persons in Bahrain have been met with severe criticism by opposition groups which have claimed that these measures comprise a deliberate attempt 91 - See, for instance, Lebanon: Law does not recognise children of Lebanese females, The Daily Star, 8 March 2006 [Lebanon]; Lina Abou-Habib, Director of Collective for Research and Training on Development – Action (CRTD-A), Nationality and statelessness: Challenges and progress towards citizenship for all, presentation at Panel Discussion organised by the United States Mission to the United Nations, New York, 8 November 2007; No ID, NOW Lebanon, 9 March 2009 [Lebanon];.Lebanon: Women Battle for Citizenship Rights, Inter Press Service, 6 June 2009 [Italy]. 73