"Bahrain must offer more than talk" February 20, 2013
TWO YEARS after protests erupted in the tiny kingdom of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has finally announced talks with the political opposition. But the people of Bahrain need more than just talk. The largest opposition party, al-Wefaq, faces popular pressure to withdraw from negotiations. Many in Bahrain have lost faith in the royal family’s willingness to implement democratic reform.
If the Sunni king — a strong US ally whose family has ruled since the 19th century — is serious about allowing Bahrain’s Shi’ite majority a greater voice, he needs to show it. He must pardon and release the “Bahrain 13,” a group of opposition leaders arrested in 2011. He must end violence against nonviolent protesters. And he must hold his own government accountable for systematic torture.
In retrospect, the king’s decision to appoint a respected international commission to investigate the aftermath of the initial uprising looks more like a brilliant stalling tactic than a sign of a more just system. So far, few of that commission’s recommendations have been implemented.
Now, activists who once pushed for modest reforms are calling for the monarchy’s ouster. Serious talks could provide a peaceful way out. Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Persian Gulf, through which much of the world’s oil passes. If the monarchy is toppled, or if the crackdown takes an even bloodier turn, the Fifth Fleet could be forced to leave. Russia’s disastrous attempts to prop up Bashar Assad in Syria, home of a Russian naval base, provide a cautionary tale about how badly such an alliance can backfire.
Well, it sure isn't looking that way four months later.
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Related: Hungry For Another Post About Bahrain?
Kind of full up right now.
UPDATE:
"Protests and clashes expand in Bahrain" by Reem Khalifa | Associated Press, February 16, 2013
MANAMA, Bahrain — Thousands of antigovernment marchers jammed a major highway Friday as clashes broke out for a second day between security forces and protesters marking the anniversary of their uprising in the strategic Gulf nation.
The spike in violence is likely to put pressure on Shi’ite opposition groups as they engage in talks to ease the crisis with Bahrain’s Sunni-led government, despite objections from hard-line factions who want to topple the Western-backed monarchy.
In another sign of escalating tensions, police said they found a bomb weighing 4.4 pounds on the causeway connecting Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which closely backs Bahrain’s monarchy. Police said bomb disposal teams defused the device, which officials said contained ‘‘highly explosive material.’’
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