Bahrain: Monarchy in Crisis; Widespread Anti-U.S. Feeling

Despite the near absence of international media coverage on events in Bahrain, low level but widespread protests persist throughout the country, including protests last night in Al Dair, Al Kawara, and Qariya.

Christopher Davidson, writing for OpenDemocracy, discussed the crisis within the Bahraini monarchy. Davidson described the ruling al-Khalifa family as “running out of space” to enact reforms, after the al-Wefaq party pulled out of the National Dialogue. This has further diminished the legitimacy of the ruling family, who Davidson accuses of instigating the sectarian division to a level never before seen in Bahrain. The government has destroyed 30 mosques belonging to the majority Shi’a population and nationalized many foreign Sunni workers in an attempt to even the population divide between Shi’a and Sunni. Davidson also noted more citizens outside of Bahrain are becoming aware of the situation, despite limited international media coverage. The increased attention, the establishment of an independent and international committee to investigate the violence of government forces, and the report, though immediagely denied, that the U.S. is reconsidering basing the Fifth Fleet on the island, led Davidson to conclude that it will be “ever harder for a democracy-suppressing regime to continue with business as usual.”

Justin Gengler noted the rapidly rising and widespread anti-American sentiment within Bahrain, from both pro-regime and pro-revolutionary groups. He noted the pro-revolutionaries are planning a protest for this weekend in front of the American embassy in Zinj to protest perceived American complicity in the violence of the regime.

And Al-Jazeera’s “Fault Lines” program aired a new episode about the apparent double standards of U.S. foreign policy as it relates to the Arab Spring uprisings. The program questioned why the U.S. publicly supports revolutions in countries like Libya, Syria, and Egypt but has not pressured Gulf countries, especially Bahrain, to stop violently repressing protesters and make significant democratic changes.