"The troops from Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-ruled Gulf countries will remain in Bahrain indefinitely."
Sure does have the feel of a WWIII even if no one is calling it that:
"Bahrain lifts emergency rule, stays on alert" by Associated Press / June 2, 2011
MANAMA, Bahrain — Tanks and soldiers left the heart of Bahrain’s capital as emergency rule was lifted yesterday, but authorities warned they were not easing pressure on antigovernment groups in the Gulf kingdom.
The military withdrew from the center of Manama but kept police at numerous checkpoints around the city....
At least 30 people have been killed since the protests for more rights and greater freedoms began in February in the Western-allied island nation, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Bahrain invited 1,500 troops from a Saudi-led Gulf force to help suppress the unrest when emergency rule was imposed.
The Saudi intervention infuriated Shi’ite power Iran.
So the war script says.
It underscored the fear of Iran in Sunni-dominated Arab countries of the Middle East, particularly among Gulf Arab leaders who worry that gains by Bahrain’s Shi’ites could provide an opening for Iran to expand its influence on the doorstep of rival Saudi Arabia.
The troops from Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-ruled Gulf countries will remain in Bahrain indefinitely. They arrived in the kingdom in mid-March as part of the far-reaching crackdown that included hundreds of arrests of activists, journalists, political figures, athletes, and Shi’ite professionals such as doctors and lawyers.
After the military withdrawal yesterday, riot police were sent to Shi’ite-populated outskirts of the capital to disperse some gatherings. But it was not immediately clear whether government opponents were trying to stage new protests.
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"Bahraini police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters marching toward the landmark Pearl Square in the country’s capital yesterday, two days after authorities lifted emergency rule....
Hundreds of opposition supporters took their grievances to the streets for the first time since martial law was imposed over two months ago.
The country’s security force moved against the protesters shortly before Formula One’s governing body deemed the kingdom safe enough to host the Bahrain Grand Prix in October.
Now THAT'S IMPORTANT!
Ever notice there i$ no talk of global warming when it come$ to the fuel-wasting, carbon-belching auto races?
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