Bahrain on Huffington Posttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/tag/bahrainHuffington Post Bahrain Police Open Fire At Protesters In Capitalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/03/bahrain-protesters-attacked_n_870914.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahraini police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters marching toward the landmark Pearl Square in the country's capital Friday, two days after authorities lifted emergency rule.<br />
<br />
The downtown square was the focus of weeks of Shiite-led protests against the Gulf nation's Sunni rulers earlier this year. Witnesses in the tiny island kingdom said there were no immediate reports of casualties among the hundreds of opposition supporters who took their grievances to the streets for the first time since martial law was imposed more than two months ago.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/bahrain-grand-prix">Bahrain Grand Prix</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-protests">Bahrain Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-antigovernment-protests">Bahrain Anti-Government Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi: Gulf Governments Take to Social Mediahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/gulf-governments-take-to-_b_868815.htmlSultan Sooud Al-Qassemihttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/
In the past few months, the potential of social media outreach in the Gulf hasn't only been noticed and exploited by marketing firms but also by regional governments and officials. After all, there were a staggering 7.4 million Facebook users in the Gulf as of May this year, according to <a href="http://www.insidefacebook.com/2011/05/18/facebook-traffic-across-the-middle-east-egypt-pakistan-make-gains-saudi-arabia-loses-users/" target="_hplink">Inside Facebook</a> and 5.5 million Twitter users in the Middle East as of March, according to <a href=" http://arabcrunch.com/2011/03/infographics-digital-marketing-trends-in-the-middle-east-5-5-million-twitter-users-in-the-arab-world.html" target="_hplink">ArabCrunch</a> .<br />
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The most intriguing use of social media in the Gulf has to be that of Kuwaiti citizens interacting with their elected MPs. Social media in Kuwait seems more like an extension of the Kuwaiti parliament with tweets questioning MPs on policies, even teasing them, and going as far as poking fun at them. One MP for instance is referred to as "The Pen" signifying he's in the pocket of the government. Another female MP is "advised" in a rather sexist remark to launch a lingerie campaign.<br />
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One Gulf government that has embraced social media is Bahrain where a number of cabinet ministers including those responsible for the foreign, interior and information portfolios maintain active Twitter profiles. Perhaps the most visible example of official social media use in the Gulf in the past few months was by Bahrain's Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa who, following what seems to have been an unauthorized and <a href="http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article361546.ece" target="_hplink">misstated statement</a> from the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs on the government's plan to <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/bahrain-moves-to-dissolve-main-opposition-group-al-wefaq" target="_hplink">dissolve Al Wefaq</a> opposition party, immediately <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/khalidalkhalifa/status/58648798930550784" target="_hplink">tweeted</a>: "A clarification: Bahrain is not seeking to dissolve political societies, official statement was incorrect."<br />
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A growing number of officials across the Gulf are beginning to understand the significance of social media's outreach. The experience of Saudi blogger Fouad Al Farhan illustrates this change. Al Farhan was <a href=" http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2008/12/2008121593548580496.html" target="_hplink">arrested</a> in Jeddah in December 2007 and held in solitary confinement until April 2008 after posting a <a href=" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/31/AR2007123101915.html" target="_hplink">controversial blog</a> naming his 10 least favorite Saudis whom he never wants to meet that included a senior Islamic cleric, a billionaire prince and a cabinet minister. In a sign of changing times, Al Farhan, whose popularity only grew after his release (he has over 15,600 followers on Twitter), was one of five Saudis invited earlier this year to meet the Governor of Makkah, Prince Khalid Al Faisal, following the 2011 Jeddah floods. The meeting, held to explain the government's efforts to deal with the floods, was broadcast on <a href="http://www.thestar.com/mobile/NEWS/article/937967" target="_hplink">national television</a> and the Prince asked Al Farhan to give his <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9a0c27e4-32f2-11e0-9a61-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1NVZE3Hrj" target="_hplink">regards</a> to his followers on Twitter.<br />
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Another impressive presence on Twitter is that of Abdul Aziz Khoja, the Saudi minister of information and culture. The 69-year-old former diplomat personally updates his<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/abdlazizkhoja/status/71231277361135616" target="_hplink"> Twitter profile</a> and interacts with Saudi as well as non-Saudi users, even asking a journalist why he hasn't been active on Facebook recently.<br />
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Another breed is the Gulf official who has a Twitter account under a pseudonym and only follows people without tweeting. During a recent visit to Riyadh, I was approached by someone who told me he follows my tweets but refused to disclose his Twitter handle. Perhaps he thought I would expose him to others online.<br />
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A bone of contention is the role that members of Gulf ruling families play on the internet, or at least the role that they are perceived to play. A senior Gulf diplomat told me that some people took the online rants of one ruling family member as representing "official state policy". "No one knows he's an 18-year-old student," he explained. "I had to call his family and pull the plug on his account before he does any serious damage." Should young non-government affiliated members of ruling Gulf families restrain themselves on social media? Or perhaps they should simply refrain from using the government-affiliated family name on a medium that is public to air personal grievances.<br />
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Governments are also using Twitter to disseminate breaking news and even corporate announcements. For instance, many UAE residents learned of the recent takeover of Dubai Bank by the government of Dubai through the emirate's official media Twitter account @DXBMediaOffice. Dubai also has a highly interactive police Twitter account @DubaiPoliceHQ that updates the community on the latest news and warns it regarding financial fraud along with interesting facts about crime prevention. The UAE's prime minister also has a large following of over 400,000 on <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HHShkMohd" target="_hplink">Twitter</a> and a similar number on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/HHSheikhMohammed" target="_hplink">Facebook</a>. I also happen to know of two other UAE cabinet ministers who use Twitter anonymously.<br />
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Overall, the embrace of Gulf governments and officials of social media has to be seen as a positive phenomenon, even if such officials only use social media in a passive manner to follow developments. In the absence of real world direct lines of communications social media is filling the void between citizens and officials at a time when we are in dire need to break down barriers and expand understanding.<br />
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<em>This article first appeared in <a href="http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/gulf-governments-take-to-social-media-1.814508" target="_hplink">Gulf News</a>.</em>
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Will The G8 Help Pro-Democracy Movements?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/27/g8-summit-arab-spring_n_868259.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
As two days of meetings on the Normandy coast wound down Friday, the leaders of Group of Eight nations, better known as the G8, <a href="http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/summit/2011deauville/2011-declaration-en.html" target="_hplink">released a declaration</a> in which they vowed to support "democratic reform around the world" and "aspirations for freedom."<br />
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They referred, specifically, to the aspirations of the pro-democracy movements that have swept the Arab world this spring, and more specifically, to the two countries where those movements have resulted in the downfall of authoritarian leaders, Tunisia and Egypt. The organization pledged about $20 billion in aid over the next two years to the governments of those two countries, made available through multilateral banks.<br />
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"We met with the Prime Ministers of Egypt and Tunisia," the G8 stated in its declaration, "and decided to launch an enduring partnership with those countries engaging in a transition to democracy and tolerant societies."<br />
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The <a href="http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/summit/2011deauville/2011-arabsprings-en.html" target="_hplink">Deauville Partnership</a>, as the G8 named it after the French seaside town where the declaration occurred, is the most concrete step taken yet in the organization's broader effort to encourage democratization and the opening up of markets in North Africa and the Middle East. <br />
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"The G8 has long had an interest in development in the broader Middle East and North Africa," explained Zaria Shaw, a senior researcher with the University of Toronto's G8 Research Group. "But before, there were arguments about, 'Is democracy the best system for all of these countries?' Now there's a recognition that this is the best way. This isn't a top-down process. This a bottom-up movement."<br />
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In addition to Egypt and Tunisia, several other Middle Eastern countries were discussed in the declaration, though not all of them in ways likely to promote friendship between the G8 and those countries' leaders. <br />
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<HH--236SLIDEPOLLAJAX--27024--HH><br />
<br />
In the lengthy section of the declaration devoted to Libya, the group stated, "We demand the immediate cessation of the use of force against civilians by the Libyan regime forces as well as the cessation of all incitement to hostility and violence against the civilian population."<br />
<br />
About Libya's authoritarian leader, Muammar Gaddafi, the group was unequivocal, saying, "He has no future in a free, democratic Libya. He must go."<br />
<br />
When it came to two of the other Arab countries whose leaders have cracked down violently on protesters, though, the Western world's leaders weren't quite so blunt. <br />
<br />
They said they were "appalled" by the deaths of protesters in Syria and called for an end to the violence, but backed away from a tougher stance amid objections from Russia.<br />
<br />
In an earlier draft of the declaration, the organization had proposed a U.N. Security Council resolution against Damascus, but Russia, which has longstanding ties with Syria, insisted on a more diplomatic approach.<br />
<br />
Sergei Ryabkov, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/27/us-g8-syria-communique-idUSTRE74Q4V720110527" target="_hplink">told reporters </a>at the summit, "There are no grounds to consider this issue in the U.N. Security Council." <br />
<br />
Ultimately, the group agreed to temper its language, warning only that "further measures" would be taken if Syria doesn't heed the protesters' calls for reform.<br />
<br />
The leaders also addressed Yemen, <a href=" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13178887" target="_hplink">condemning the killings of protesters</a> and encouraging the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to follow through with his earlier commitment to step down. <br />
<br />
And they devoted several paragraphs to Israel and Palestine, in which they called for, among other things, "the easing of the situation in Gaza" and the "unconditional release" of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier abducted by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in 2006. Yet they offered no indication of how they might back up these demands.<br />
<br />
As some observers have pointed out, the declaration is notable not only for the Arab countries it mentions but also for one it doesn't –- Bahrain. Since the start of Bahrain's pro-democracy uprisings three months ago, Western officials <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/05/us-bahrain.html" target="_hplink">have said little</a>. Obama's policy speech on the Middle East last week, in which he criticized the Bahraini government for its use of "mass arrests and brute force" against protesters, served as an exception. <br />
<br />
Bahrain is a longtime ally of the U.S. and home to a U.S. navy fleet. Saudi Arabia, another key U.S. ally in the region, <a href=" http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/17/bahrain-saudi-intervention-sectarian-conflict-protests" target="_hplink">has sent troops to Bahrain </a>to help the government suppress demonstrations. <br />
<br />
As protesters have taken to the streets across the Middle East, the Iranian government has <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/18/iran-arab-spring-syria-uprisings" target="_hplink">cheered them on</a>, even while forbidding similar protests at home. The G8 noted this contradiction, stating, "We remain seriously concerned about the ongoing suppression of democratic rights in Iran, especially given that Iran has repeatedly professed support for freedom and democratic behaviour elsewhere in the region." <br />
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Here again, however, the group stopped short of suggesting any specific measures by which these demands might be enforced.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/arab-world">Arab World</a>, <a href="/tag/israelipalestinian-conflict">Israeli-Palestinian Conflict</a>, <a href="/tag/yemen">Yemen</a>, <a href="/tag/middle-east-protests">Middle East Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/tunisia">Tunisia</a>, <a href="/tag/g8-summit">G8 Summit</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/iran">Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/gaddafi">Gaddafi</a>, <a href="/tag/libya">Libya</a>, <a href="/tag/arab-spring">Arab Spring</a>, <a href="/tag/muammar-gaddafi">Muammar Gaddafi</a>, <a href="/tag/egypt">Egypt</a>, <a href="/tag/middle-east">Middle East</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/g8">G8</a>, <a href="/tag/deauville-partnership">Deauville Partnership</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Rahim Kanani: A New Narrative of Empathy for the West and the Arab World?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rahim-kanani/a-new-narrative-of-empath_b_867270.htmlRahim Kananihttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rahim-kanani/
As people in the West continue to read about, listen to and watch the stories of ordinary citizens in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen, they are realizing more and more that human desires, needs and wants -- of people in North America, North Africa and the Middle East -- are one and the same. Ordinary citizens in the West, enjoying their rights and freedoms, are now empathizing with ordinary citizens in the Arab world, who are standing up to oppressive regimes for their rights and freedoms. <br />
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It has become clear that these revolutions are not about imposing a form of religion, as some of us in the West initially thought, but about realizing freedoms and human rights. There is potential to drastically change perceptions of the "other" and perhaps, one day, create a new relationship between the grassroots communities in the West and the Middle East.<br />
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These events are enabled by the forces of globalization -- ranging from ever-increasing economic, social, political and human security interconnectedness, to a digital information age in which state secrets are sometimes revealed and massive protests are organized via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. <br />
<br />
And all of this is transmitted live via television. <br />
<br />
These tools of globalization have enabled the process of humanizing the other. People are recognizing they share ideals with people they do not know and have never met. For example, watching Egyptian Google executive and hero-protestor Wael Ghonim being interviewed on CNN about the revolution and pleading for Egypt's freedom with raw emotion struck a chord in the hearts of many Westerners. These very distant but intimate snapshots, fed to us via live television, can open the gates to further dialogue about a host of issues between "us" and "them".<br />
<br />
Tolerance begins with understanding. Understanding begins with dialogue. Dialogue begins with engagement. And engagement begins with exposure. With the advent of the Internet and the global communications revolution, the distance between tolerance and exposure is decreasing faster than before. This intellectual and emotional experience, of ordinary people identifying with individuals halfway around the world, people with whom many of us believed we shared nothing in common, is an important milestone on the journey towards accepting and understanding one another. <br />
<br />
As a young Ismaili Muslim born in Canada and now living in the United States, I feel tremendous joy and pride as I witness the current societal transformations across the Middle East and North Africa. Those around me feel the same, thanks to the exposure we're getting of the revolutions. I believe that those who are fighting for self-determination and the right to chart their own destiny are now realizing that the fruits of a free and democratic society include not only basic rights of free speech and media, fair trials and the rule of law, and free and fair elections, but also the right to individual expression of faith without fear of reprisal. <br />
<br />
In Yemen, for example, President Ali Abdullah Saleh recently argued that it was un-Islamic for women to take part in the protests. This, however, ironically encouraged more women to take part, demonstrating that Muslim women in Yemen are not allowing others to dictate their actions. Were it not for television news shows, newspapers and websites showing this picture of defiant Yemeni women, many in the West would continue to carry a different, more repressed image of them. <br />
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These uprisings have given the West a new perspective of Arabs, one that is not steeped in extremism and violence, but which shows our sameness: our same desire and appreciation for freedom. It is this new narrative that has the potential to bring us together as part of a collective human family, while encouraging a more thoughtful, nuanced and respectful dialogue about our respective beliefs, traditions and cultures. <br />
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<em>Rahim Kanani is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of <a href="http://www.rahimkanani.com" target="_hplink">World Affairs Commentary</a>. This article was originally published on May 24th for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).</em>
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/egypt-protests">Egypt Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/religion">Religion</a>, <a href="/tag/islam">Islam</a>, <a href="/tag/yemen">Yemen</a>, <a href="/tag/libya-protests">Libya Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/human-rights">Human Rights</a>, <a href="/tag/middle-east-protests">Middle East Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/tunisia">Tunisia</a>, <a href="/tag/activism">Activism</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/arab-world">Arab World</a>, <a href="/tag/syria">Syria</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Will Marshall: Obama's Perplexing Speechhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-marshall/obamas-perplexing-speech-middle-east_b_864867.htmlWill Marshallhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-marshall/
President Obama made the cardinal mistake last week of stepping on his own message. His "winds of change" speech was supposed to formalize an historic shift in U.S. policy toward the Middle East. Instead, Obama managed to put the spotlight on the one thing in the region that seems impervious to change: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<br />
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Grabbing the headlines were a set of new principles Obama introduced late in his speech for reframing stalled peace negotiations. His call for Israel to withdraw to its pre-1967 borders drew a swift rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom Obama meets today at the White House. Merits aside, the controversy over this oddly-timed change in U.S. policy has overshadowed the new doctrine the president meant to announce to the world: America henceforth will back reform and democracy in the region.<br />
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Conservatives predictably have hailed this as no change at all, merely a restatement of George W. Bush's "freedom agenda" for the Middle East. But there's a crucial difference: the impetus for economic and political change in the region is now coming from the ground up -- from its long-suffering people, not from Washington. In fact, by defusing tensions between the United States and the Muslim world, Obama probably made it easier for indigenous movements seeking freedom and democracy to arise in the region.<br />
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The Arab revolt is widely seen as legitimate because it is not, in fact, an American project. Obama made clear in his speech that Washington is catching up to events in the Middle East, not leading them.<br />
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It's odd that no one in the White House thought to apply the same lesson to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. If the parties to the conflict aren't themselves motivated to make peace, no amount of outside pressure from the United States, nor any set of innovative "parameters" for negotiations imported from Washington will break the deadlock.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the flap over Obama's apparent revision of long-standing U.S. policy toward the conflict reinforces the myth -- fostered by Arab dictators and the many U.S. Middle East experts who have invested their careers in peace processing -- that Israeli occupation of Arab lands is the region's core "problem." Yet the region's long-suffering people are writing a new narrative that focuses not on Israel, but on the corrupt and despotic rulers who have smothered their aspirations for individual dignity, economic opportunity and self-determination.<br />
<br />
In aligning U.S. policy with these aspirations, Obama ended the bankrupt policy of propping up friendly autocrats. He also restored the missing "d" in his strategic trinity of defense, diplomacy and development -- democracy.<br />
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The president reaffirmed his view that Muammar Gaddafi must go, and he had suitably harsh words for Iran's clerical dictatorship, which is intensifying its repression to keep an increasingly restive society under wraps. For consistency's sake, Obama insisted that pro-U.S. rulers in Yemen and Bahrain share power and respect minority rights, respectively. These, however, are easy cases -- too easy. Obama said not a word about the difficult problem of managing U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, which for good reason feels deeply threatened by the uprisings sweeping the region.<br />
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Obama also struck a jarringly false note in urging Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to "lead the transition, or get out of the way." This formulation reflects the weirdly persistent illusion among U.S. policy makers that Assad, who inherited his dictatorship, can somehow be transformed into an agent of democratic reform. In many ways, Assad is worse than his father. He turned Syria into a prime transit point for suicide terrorists en route to kill Americans and civilians in Iraq; he has subverted democracy in Lebanon and funneled arms to Hezbollah and Hamas; and, he has made Syria a virtual satrap of Iran. The administration has announced sanctions on Assad and other Syrian leaders responsible for the bloody crack-down on demonstrators, but America's interests clearly lie with regime change in Damascus.<br />
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Despite such qualms, Obama's speech at last has aligned America's values with its long-run interests in the political and economic modernization of the wider Middle East. It's a shame, though, that this strategic pivot has been obscured by a perplexing and ill-timed attempt to resuscitate Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/syria">Syria</a>, <a href="/tag/white-house">White House</a>, <a href="/tag/president-obama">President Obama</a>, <a href="/tag/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>, <a href="/tag/middle-east">Middle East</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/george-w-bush">George W. Bush</a>, <a href="/tag/yemen">Yemen</a>, <a href="/tag/palestine">Palestine</a>, <a href="/tag/israel">Israel</a>, <a href="/tag/hamas">Hamas</a>, <a href="/tag/hezbollah">Hezbollah</a>, <a href="/tag/mummar-qaddafi">Mummar Qaddafi</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/bashar-alassad">Bashar Al-Assad</a>, <a href="/politics">Politics News</a></p>
Deepak Chopra: How About an "American Spring"?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/how-about-an-american-spr_b_865256.htmlDeepak Choprahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/
Anyone who has admired President Obama's idealism all along should come away<br />
inspired by the high-mindedness of his "Arab Spring" speech. It served to<br />
reassure his liberal base that he wasn't solely continuing the Bush policy<br />
in the Middle East (i.e., kill every terrorist, ignore human rights, let<br />
Israel drift, keep the oil flowing). It put the conservative Israeli regime<br />
on notice, along with some minor allies like Yemen and Bahrain. Those were<br />
the points that might cause the powers that be to feel nervous for five<br />
minutes. The rest of the speech, a lofty high five for reform in the Middle<br />
East, was more problematic.<br />
<br />
<p></p><br />
<br />
Obama referred to his 2009 Cairo speech that extended an olive branch to the<br />
Muslim world, reversing Bush's belligerent "clash of civilizations" stance.<br />
Lofty as those declarations were two years ago, the intervening time has<br />
been one of inertia. Guantanamo remains a thorn in our side; Iraq<br />
continually totters; Afghanistan remains chaotic; Pakistan is a client state<br />
bought off with bribes basically because they have the atom bomb. In the<br />
face of such inertia, what can ideals do? If asked whether they would<br />
support freedom movements in Saudi Arabia, for example, in exchange for<br />
gasoline at $6 a gallon, the average American would jump ship on lofty<br />
ideals.<br />
<br />
<p></p><br />
<br />
As in so many areas, such as health care, immigration, and energy policy,<br />
Obama combined visionary- in-chief with professor-in-chief. He's good in<br />
those roles, but a global president needs a global nation to follow him. I'm<br />
not sure that we are really there yet. Reactionary politics held sway in the<br />
2010 election; the economy teeters precariously; people feel like drawing in<br />
their horns. Even in good times it would be hard for any visionary to<br />
reverse the right-wing trends that have dominated American politics since<br />
the Reagan era. In other words, without an American Spring, the Arab Spring<br />
is still on its own. This country will keep supporting despots and royal<br />
families in the Middle East; we will demand the free flow of oil, which is<br />
the same as capitulating totally to the oil oligarchs that hold the world<br />
ransom; and we won't stop being the world's largest arms dealers.<br />
<br />
<p></p><br />
<br />
It's not idealism that is at fault here; it's self-contradiction. You can't<br />
be at peace and war simultaneously, reactionary and visionary, friendly to<br />
reform and despots. Obama needs to thread his way through these<br />
contradictions. Given his character, I believe that he's trying. His<br />
idealism rings true. But countless idealists have broken their heads against<br />
hard realities. The best hope I can take away now is India, a place that is<br />
thriving even though the government is corrupt, bribes are a way of life,<br />
vast millions are illiterate, religious intolerance simmers beneath the<br />
surface, elites jealously guard their privilege, and gender inequality is<br />
shockingly rampant. Obama mentioned all those things in his speech, and it's<br />
heartening to realize that the dispossessed people of the world, starting<br />
with so little, facing such heartbreaking obstacles, can still rise. The<br />
silent power of idealism may be able to accomplish more than hardened<br />
realists realize. Let's hope so, especially at this uncertain moment.<br />
<br />
<p></p><br />
<a href="http://www.intent.com/deepakchopra/blog"> <img alt="Deepak Chopra on Intent.com" src="http://www.intent.com/sites/intent.com/files/badges/dc.gif" style='border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;'/> </a><br />
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<a href=http://www.deepakchopra.com>deepakchopra.com</a><br />
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<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/yemen">Yemen</a>, <a href="/tag/arab-spring">Arab Spring</a>, <a href="/tag/egypt-revolution">Egypt Revolution</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/obama-cairo-speech">Obama Cairo Speech</a>, <a href="/tag/middle-east">Middle East</a>, <a href="/tag/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a>, <a href="/politics">Politics News</a></p>
Stephen Zunes: Obama's Mideast Speech: Two Steps Back, One Step Forwardhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-zunes/obamas-mideast-speech-two_b_864847.htmlStephen Zuneshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-zunes/
Although <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/04/obamas-middle-east-speech_n_211217.html" target="_hplink">President Barack Obama's May 19 address</a> on U.S. Middle East policy had a number of positive elements, overall it was a major disappointment. His speech served as yet another reminder that his administration's approach to the region differs in several important ways from that of his immediate predecessor, but he failed to consistently assert principled U.S. support for human rights, democracy, or international law.<br />
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Obama was most eloquent in noting how popular nonviolent struggles were the driving agent of change in the region, and how this had in many ways made al-Qaeda decreasingly relevant even before the killing of Osama bin Laden earlier this month. Correctly recognizing that, through the use of nonviolent action, "the people of the region have achieved more change in six months than terrorists have accomplished in decades," the president also observed, unlike the problematic efforts of "democracy promotion" in Iraq, "It is not America that put people into the streets of Tunis and Cairo -- it was the people themselves who launched these movements, and must determine their outcome."<br />
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Also to his credit, Obama did not just talk about free elections as the sole determinant of democracy, but the right of a free press, free assembly, and the right to information. Similarly, it is positive that he committed the United States to "build on our efforts to broaden our engagement beyond elites, so that we reach the people who will shape the future -- particularly young people."<br />
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In doing so, however, he will face the widespread opposition of these young people and other democratic forces to continued U.S. arms transfers and security assistance to corrupt and repressive regimes, the pursuit of a neo-liberal economic agenda that has exacerbated inequality in their countries, and ongoing U.S. support for the continued Israeli occupation and colonization of Palestinian land.<br />
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<strong>Bahrain and Syria</strong><br />
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In his most forceful comments on the situation in Bahrain to date, Obama addressed concerns about the worsening repression in that island kingdom. However, he did not push for democratic change in Bahrain, a U.S. ally, nearly as much as he did regarding Syria, a longtime U.S. adversary. This unbalanced emphasis was particularly striking given that -- as a percentage of the population -- even more people have been killed and jailed in the former. For example, while calling for greater freedom for Bahrainis, Obama did not call on King Hamad to "lead that transition or get out of the way" as he did with Syrian President Assad. The United States has enormous leverage with Bahrain through its contributions to the government's coffers in rent for military bases, as well as through arms sales and related security assistance that has been used to oppress pro-democracy demonstrators. But Obama has refused to impose sanctions on Bahrain as he did on Syria.<br />
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Another double standard apparent in the president's speech was, while complaining that Iran has allegedly "tried to take advantage of the turmoil" in Bahrain, Obama refused to endorse international demands that U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates withdraw the troops they sent into that island kingdom to brutally repress the overwhelmingly nonviolent freedom struggle.<br />
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Obama's claim that, in Iraq, "we see the promise of a multi-ethnic, multi-sectarian democracy" is rather incredible given the ongoing sectarianism and political repression, including the killing and jailing of pro-democracy activists -- including leading journalists and intellectuals -- and the destruction of offices of civil society groups calling for greater freedom and transparency in the U.S.-backed regime.<br />
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It is gratifying to hear a president say that the United States "will oppose an attempt by any group to restrict the rights of others, and to hold power through coercion -- not consent." However, as long as the United States continues to provide allied regimes with billions of dollars worth of security assistance to make that coercion possible, there remain serious questions regarding how seriously Obama is willing to follow through on that commitment.<br />
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In addition, his claim that the United States "will not tolerate aggression across borders" continues to be somewhat selective given its ongoing support for the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara and support for Israel's continued occupation of the Palestinian territories. And although Obama opposed the invasion of Iraq, he has yet to withdraw U.S. forces from that country whose borders the United States crossed in what is recognized by most authorities of international law as an illegal act of aggression.<br />
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Israel/Palestine</strong><br />
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The good news is that Obama stressed that the Israeli occupation should end and an independent Palestinian state should be established, with its boundaries based on the internationally recognized pre-June 1967 borders. Though this has been the international consensus for years, right-wing Republicans and other allies of Israel's rightist government have attacked Obama for his position.<br />
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However, Obama did not call for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from occupied Palestinian territory. The unspecified variations from the pre-1967 borders, Obama insisted, should be made through "mutually agreed-upon" land swaps. Unfortunately, despite Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas agreeing to such reciprocal territorial swaps -- even though it would leave the Palestinian state with a bare 22 percent of Palestine -- Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has refused to consider trading any land within Israel while simultaneously insisting on annexing large swathes of occupied Palestinian territory. How such "mutually agreed-upon" swaps will take place without the United States exerting enormous leverage -- such as withholding some of the annual $3 billion in unconditional aid provided annually, which Obama has already ruled out -- is hard to imagine.<br />
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The failure of Netanyahu to compromise has forced the Palestinian Authority to consider a unilateral declaration of independence in September within the areas of Palestine recognized by the United States as under foreign belligerent occupation -- the 22 percent of Palestine consisting of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. However, in his speech, Obama arrogantly dismissed such an exercise of the Palestinians' moral and legal right to self-determination as "symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations." His line that "a growing number of Palestinians live west of the Jordan River" came across as particularly bizarre since this is exactly where Palestinians had lived for centuries, not the neighboring Arab countries where millions of refugees now live.<br />
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Similarly, despite ongoing violations of a series of UN Security Council resolutions, a landmark advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, and basic international humanitarian law by the government of Israel, Obama vowed "we will stand against attempts to single it out for criticism in international forums."<br />
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It was positive that Obama specified that Palestinian borders must be with "Israel, Jordan and Egypt." This appears to be an open challenge to Israeli efforts to control the occupied Jordan Valley (thereby having Israel completely surround a proposed Palestinian mini-state and closing off their access to its eastern neighbor) and -- since the West Bank does not border Egypt -- to prevent the Gaza Strip from joining the new Palestinian republic.<br />
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It seemed particularly odd that Obama refused to point out areas of Israeli intransigence and violations of international legal norms but made a point of chastising the Palestinians for their "efforts to delegitimize Israel" and insisting "Palestinians will never realize their independence by denying the right of Israel to exist." Although such criticism of such actions are certainly reasonable in themselves, he seemed to ignore the fact that the Palestine Authority, their president and prime minister, the ruling Fatah party, and the Palestine Liberation Organization have repeatedly reiterated their recognition of Israel's right to exist as an independent viable state in peace and security, which is more than the current Israeli government has ever done in regard to Palestine.<br />
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Also disturbing is Obama's insistence that the borders of the new Palestinian state be agreed on prior to negotiations over the status of East Jerusalem, the nominal Palestinian capital and the base of leading Palestinian universities, businesses, and cultural and religious landmarks. Any idea that the Palestinians will accept an independent mini-state without East Jerusalem as its capital is frankly naïve.<br />
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Most disturbingly, Obama raised concern about whether the Israeli government should even negotiate with the recently announced national unity government formed between the two largest Palestinian parties, Fatah and Hamas, on the grounds of Hamas' ongoing refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist. Obama failed to note that the current Israeli government includes parties that refuse to recognize Palestine's right to exist or raise concerns about whether the Palestinians should negotiate with an Israeli government that included such parties. This blatant double standard raises serious questions regarding Obama's commitment to being an honest broker in resolving the conflict.<br />
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Obama concluded his speech by declaring that "we cannot hesitate to stand squarely on the side of those who are reaching for their rights, knowing that their success will bring about a world that is more peaceful, more stable, and more just." Unfortunately, for decades, the United States has refused to do this. And, although the Obama administration has taken small steps in that direction relative to previous administrations, it still has a long way to go before fulfilling such a promise.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/palestine">Palestine</a>, <a href="/tag/arab-spring">Arab Spring</a>, <a href="/tag/middle-east">Middle East</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>, <a href="/tag/israel">Israel</a>, <a href="/tag/iraq">Iraq</a>, <a href="/tag/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Leon T. Hadar: Obama on the Middle East: No Game Changerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/leon-t-hadar/obama-on-the-middle-east-_b_864346.htmlLeon T. Hadarhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/leon-t-hadar/
Wishful thinkers who had expected President Barack Obama to lay out a new U.S. grand strategy for the Middle East -- the so-called Obama Doctrine -- during his much-anticipated address at the State Department on Thursday were bound to be disappointed. <br />
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That post-1945 American presidents were able to enunciate a series of U.S. "doctrines" to help mobilize support at home and abroad for American policy in the Middle East reflected a reality in which Washington -- driven by pressures of the Cold War and the Arab-Israeli conflict -- was advancing a set of core strategic goals that seemed to be aligned with U.S. interests and values. <br />
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The "good guys" deserving U.S. protection and support were the "moderate" Arab regimes that were supporting American (and Western) interests, providing access to the region's oil resources, and seeking some form of coexistence with Israel. In that context, it is important to remember that until the administration of President George W. Bush started advancing its Freedom Agenda, no administration declared that spreading democracy was a core U.S. interest in the region. <br />
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The current political upheaval in the Middle East is just the latest and most dramatic in a series of changes that have been transforming the region since the end of the Cold War and that are making it more difficult for any U.S. president to articulate a set a principles that could guide policy in an area of the world that has been drawing in more U.S. military and economic resources. <br />
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Indeed, Obama's speech only helped to demonstrate the failure on the part of the president and other officials and lawmakers to provide a clear rationale for U.S. intervention in the Middle East. Hence, Obama was trying to draw the outline of a revisionist narrative in which the goals of the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia were aligned with U.S. interests and values -- despite the fact that the demonstrators there ended up ousting from power staunch pro-American allies. <br />
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And while most Americans would probably applaud Obama's call for protecting individual rights, freedom of religion, the emancipation of women, and the promotion of free markets in Egypt and other Arab countries, there are no indications that the majority of the people who are driving the change that supports these principles. <br />
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If anything, considering the findings of several <a href="http://pewglobal.org/2011/05/17/arab-spring-fails-to-improve-us-image/" target="_hplink">opinion polls</a> conducted in the Middle East, Arab governments who will be more responsive to their people's aspirations are probably going to be less inclined to move in the direction set by Obama and to embrace policies that will be less favorable to the interests of the U.S. and Israel. <br />
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Reiterating -- as Obama did in his speech -- that the collapse of the authoritarian regimes in the region doesn't have to lead to civil wars between religious, ethnic and groups sounds nice. But the experience of Iraq -- not to mention Lebanon -- suggests otherwise, especially as the struggle between Sunnis and Shiites seems to be spilling over into Bahrain and the rest of the Persian Gulf. <br />
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And while in Iraq U.S. policies are helping to put in place a Shiite-led government with ties to Iran, in Bahrain Washington is backing the Saudis in their effort to suppress a Shiite revolt backed by Iran.<br />
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In fact, the alliance between the U.S. and the Saudi Arabian theocracy -- less democratic than Syria, more corrupt than Libya, the purveyor of radical Islamic values, where women and non-Muslims have no political and other rights -- makes a mockery of much of what Obama was saying on Thursday. <br />
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Moreover, Obama's address on Thursday also highlighted what could be construed as a paradox. The more American military and financial commitments in the Middle East keep rising the more the U.S. becomes marginalized in the process. <br />
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Indeed, contrary to the hopes articulated by some Arabs and Israelis, Obama's speech did not amount to the kind of "game changer" that could bring back to life the dormant Palestinian-Israeli peace process. There is very little that the Obama administration could do to change the status-quo in Israel/Palestine. Why pretend otherwise? <br />
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Well, perhaps because Obama believes that he does not have any other choice but to continue muddling through in the Middle East from which the U.S. will not be able to extricate itself anytime soon. Hence, Obama's disjointed response to the upheaval in the Arab World: Grudgingly supporting the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, unenthusiastically backing limited military action in Libya, projecting a nuanced attitude to the unrest in Bahrain, and confounding supporters and opponents in Washington and in the Middle East who tend to project into him the respective fantasies (peacemaker) or nightmares (anti-Israeli).<br />
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That may not a doctrine. But then that is not too bad if you consider that his predecessor in office had one. With the single-minded determination required to prevail in ideological combat, W. saw the world through the prism of a Great Idea -- the struggle between Good and Evil -- and tried to impose it on a the complex reality of Iraq where the ethnic and religious identities took precedence over notions of democracy and liberalism. <br />
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Obama should be praised for recognizing that what is happening in the Middle East may follow neither the model of Iran in 1979 (radical Islam) nor the outline of Eastern Europe in 1989 (liberal democracy), but could instead generate a mishmash of changes that don't fit into a linear and coherent pattern. But at some point, the costs of his ad-hocish and accommodating responses to the developments in the region could prove too high to sustain in the long run.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/iran">Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/middle-east">Middle East</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/libya">Libya</a>, <a href="/tag/israel">Israel</a>, <a href="/tag/palestine">Palestine</a>, <a href="/tag/obama">Obama</a>, <a href="/tag/iraq">Iraq</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/obama-speech">Obama Speech</a>, <a href="/tag/obama-middle-east">Obama Middle East</a>, <a href="/tag/obama-middle-east-speech">Obama Middle East Speech</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Thor Halvorssen: PR Mercenaries, Their Dictator Masters, and the Human Rights Stainhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor-halvorssen/pr-mercenaries-their-dict_b_863716.htmlThor Halvorssenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor-halvorssen/
Maryam al-Khawaja took the stage at the Oslo Freedom Forum last Tuesday and stunned the audience with her experiences of government violence in the Kingdom of Bahrain. She described the killing of student protestors, the torture of democracy advocates, and how human rights defenders are "disappeared." Maryam also detailed how troops from a neighboring dictatorship, Saudi Arabia, rushed into Bahrain to prop up the crown prince's regime.<br />
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Ali Abdulemam, a renowned Bahraini blogger, was also invited to the <a href="http://www.oslofreedomforum.com" target="_hplink">Oslo Freedom Forum</a>. Ali was imprisoned by his government in September 2010 for "spreading false information." After being released on February 23, he enthusiastically accepted his speaking invitation and plans were made for his travel. And then he disappeared. No one has seen or heard from him since March 18.<br />
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Beyond disappearing bloggers and rights activists, Bahrain also tries to disappear criticism. The government has been aided by a coterie of "reputation management" experts, including professionals from the Washington, D.C., offices of <a href="http://www.fara.gov/docs/5483-Exhibit-AB-20100806-22.pdf" target="_hplink">Qorvis Communications</a> and the <a href="http://www.fara.gov/docs/6024-Exhibit-AB-20110315-1.pdf" target="_hplink">Potomac Square Group</a>, in addition to <a href="http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/1064256/Bell-Pottingers-Bahrain-brief-suspended-amid-countrys-crisis/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH" target="_hplink">Bell Pottinger</a> out of their offices in London and Bahrain.<br />
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Within minutes of Maryam's speech (streamed live online) the global Bahraini PR machine went into dramatic overdrive. A tightly organized ring of Twitter accounts began to unleash hundreds of tweets accusing Maryam of being an extremist, a liar, and a servant of Iran. Simultaneously, the Oslo Freedom Forum's email account was bombarded with messages, all crudely made from a simple template, arguing that Maryam al-Khawaja is an enemy of the Bahraini people and a "traitor." Most of the U.S.-based fake tweeting, fake blogging (flogging), and online manipulation is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/lobbyist-mideast-unrest-departures_n_840231.html" target="_hplink">carried out from inside</a> Qorvis Communication's "Geo-Political Solutions" division.<br />
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The effort is mechanical and centrally organized, and it goes beyond the online world. In fact, right before Maryam was to give her speech, she noticed two young women in the crowd who stalk her speeches and heckled her a few days earlier at an event in the U.S.<br />
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More so than intimidation, violence, and disappearances, the most important tool for dictatorships across the world is the discrediting of critics like Maryam. For instance, Uyghur activist Rebiya Kadeer is accused of terrorism by the Chinese government, Cuban poet and former political prisoner Armando Valladares is called a "subversive" by the Castro regime, and Human Rights Watch's Jose Miguel Vivanco is branded a CIA agent and "Pinochet supporter" by the Venezuelan government. In each case, the accusations are bogus but their repetition has an impact. The tactic is universal.<br />
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The Human Rights Foundation (HRF), the organization that produces the Oslo Freedom Forum, has been described by the Cuban state media as a CIA front, labeled "imperialist" by the Ecuadorean president, and declared "enemies of the state" by the Venezuelan propaganda machine. Rather than addressing criticism head-on, the method is to shoot the messenger.<br />
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Oppressive governments are threatened by public exposure, and this means that it's not just human rights defenders but also bloggers, opinion journalists, and civil society activists who are regularly and viciously maligned.<br />
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Just as Maryam al-Khawaja was smeared by the Bahraini government's PR campaign as a "terrorist" during this year's Oslo Freedom Forum, Venezuelan media executive <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX-pmQARFEE" target="_hplink">Marcel Granier</a> was falsely branded as an "enemy of democracy" by Venezuela's propagandists and their allies at the 2010 Oslo Freedom Forum. Much as Maryam was followed by hecklers and "<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/astroturfing" target="_hplink">astroturfers</a>," Granier was libeled by paid PR agents of Hugo Chavez in order to discredit him and his message --that the Chavez administration is a threat to freedom of speech.<br />
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These examples illustrate how dictatorships are today able to enhance their skill set and prolong their "communicational hegemony" (as one elected thug calls it) by hiring PR firms to whitewash their records. These companies specialize in burying evidence of human rights violations deep under rosy language about stability, economic growth, and commitments to help the poor. Their efforts also infect sources deemed reliable by many journalists, such as Wikipedia. Numerous governments have paid editors to whitewash their digital reputations.<br />
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In May 2010, the Tunisian government<a href="http://www.pr.com/press-release/234707" target="_hplink"> hired the Washington Media Group</a> to help its public relations. After inking the half-million dollar contract, the company praised Ben Ali's kleptocratic autocracy as "a stable democracy" and a "peaceful, Islamic country [with] a terrific story to share with the world." They dropped Tunisia as a client only after Ben Ali began picking off protestors with snipers -- one week before he fled.<br />
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A fawning article on Syria's first lady, Asma al-Assad, appeared in <em>Vogue</em> magazine less than a month before her husband's government brutally put down pro-democracy protestors. How did Asma, wife of a medieval dictator, score a puff piece in <em>Vogue</em>? The fashion magazine article noted that she was accompanied during her interviews by a "high profile American PR" flack. (The uproar caused by the sycophantic <em>Vogue</em> profile was such that its PR people have succeeded in <a href="http://www.vogue.com/vogue-daily/article/asma-al-assad-a-rose-in-the-desert/" target="_hplink">disappearing the piece</a> from their website.)<br />
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Even dictators are entitled to a voice in global public opinion, but those who spin for brutal killers -- like those running Equatorial Guinea and Libya, for instance -- should be exposed as amoral and unperturbed by abetting injustice and repression.<br />
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Qorvis Communications, for instance, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/lobbyist-mideast-unrest-departures_n_840231.html" target="_hplink">represents dictators</a> from Equatorial Guinea, <a href="http://www.qorvis.com/clients/case-studies/kingdom-saudi-arabia-media-and-government-relations" target="_hplink">Saudi Arabia</a>, and Yemen and has made more than $100 million dollars by helping their many clients battle negative public opinion or bury the truth under a mountain of fluff journalism. This is mercenary work, fighting actively against human rights advances and on behalf of criminals like Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang. Qorvis exec Matt J. Lauer styles himself as a PR wonderboy rather than as what he is: an accessory to human rights violations. By virtue of whitewashing the Obiang clan's reputation he is engaged in criminal facilitation of the Obiang conspiracy including grand theft, larceny, money-laundering, influence-trafficking, murder and other Obiang activities that would keep any principled PR professional awake at night.<br />
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Washington's most notorious lobbyist for tyrants was the late Edward "von" Kloberg, who unapologetically and flamboyantly represented Saddam Hussein and dictators from Romania, the Congo, and Burma (among dozens of others). Kloberg was so venal he became a caricature -- even trying to score business with North Korea's Kim Jong Il. Kloberg knew his work was a spectacle and he admitted he was shameless. These other firms do no different, yet try to mask their work by contracting with innocent sounding government bodies. For example, Bell Pottinger worked for the "<a href="http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/1057005/Bell-Pottingers-work-Bahrain-Government-spotlight/" target="_hplink">Economic Development Board</a>" of the Bahraini government, and its <a href="http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/people,782,thatchers-pr-man-bell-takes-on-belarus,22004" target="_hplink">work for Aleksander Lukashenko</a> was not specifically detailed.<br />
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While Maryam al-Khawaja was bravely giving her speech at the Oslo Freedom Forum, Qorvis staff were busy in their plush offices on Connecticut Avenue helping to distract people from her revealing talk and trying hard to disappear concern over the disappearance of Ali Abdulemam. Meanwhile, the money keeps rolling in.<br />
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<em>Thor Halvorssen is president of the New York-based <a href="http://www.humanrightsfoundation.org/" target="_hplink">Human Rights Foundation</a> and founder and CEO of the <a href="http://www.oslofreedomforum.com/" target="_hplink">Oslo Freedom Forum</a>. Follow him on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ThorHalvorssen" target="_hplink">Twitter </a>and on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thorhalvorssen" target="_hplink">Facebook</a>.</em><br />
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/syrian-pr-mercenaries">Syrian Pr Mercenaries</a>, <a href="/tag/pr-mercenaries">PR Mercenaries</a>, <a href="/tag/human-rights-and-pr-mercenaries">Human Rights and Pr Mercenaries</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/syrian-lobbyists">Syrian Lobbyists</a>, <a href="/tag/lobbyists">Lobbyists</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-lobbyists">Bahrain Lobbyists</a>, <a href="/tag/lukashenko">Lukashenko</a>, <a href="/tag/chavez">Chavez</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Nations With Most Extreme Water Shortages http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/world-water-stress-index-_n_863857.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
Water shortages are the most extreme in Africa and the Middle East, and the hardest hit are nations along the Gulf, according to a new <a href="http://www.maplecroft.com/about/news/water_stress_index.html" target="_hplink">report</a>. <br />
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Released Wednesday by British risk analysis firm <a href="www.maplecroft.com" target="_hplink">Maplecroft</a>, the 2011 Water Stress Index calculates the ratio of domestic, industrial and agricultural water consumption against renewable supplies of water from precipitation, rivers and groundwater. Of the 17 countries designated as being "extreme risk," Bahrain had the dubious<a href="http://www.arabianbusiness.com/water-shortages-threaten-growth-in-gulf-states-400845.html" target="_hplink"> distinction</a> of being the nation most likely to experience an interruption to its water supply, with Qatar (2) and Saudi Arabia (4) not far behind. <br />
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"One of the primary water users is agriculture, providing a direct link between water stress and food security," Principal Environmental Analyst at Maplecroft Kimberlee Myers <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jNWJ8LcpMsuDbOY1ODsFejYw3ecQ?docId=6879165" target="_hplink">told </a>the Associated Press. "If local water supplies are being used for agriculture for food destined for foreign countries at the expense of the needs of local communities, then the governments could be open to accusations of negatively impacting on the right to water of their people. As water resources deplete in countries that currently experience low water stress, this will become increasingly problematic."<br />
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The report notes that rapid economic growth and a building boom in oil-rich Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates has exacerbated existing water shortages, in addition to increasing the demand for water among their growing populations. <br />
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View more information about the report <a href="http://www.maplecroft.com/about/news/water_stress_index.html" target="_hplink">here</a>. <br />
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View photos of the 10 most water-stressed nations, all labeled at "extreme risk," here: <br />
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<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/population-growth">Population Growth</a>, <a href="/tag/drought">Drought</a>, <a href="/tag/agriculture">Agriculture</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/water-stress-index">Water Stress Index</a>, <a href="/tag/israel">Israel</a>, <a href="/tag/qatar">Qatar</a>, <a href="/tag/world-water-stress-index">World Water Stress Index</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Haggai Carmon: Iran vs. Saudi Arabia in Bahrain?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/haggai-carmon/iran-vs-saudi-arabia-in-b_b_847825.htmlHaggai Carmonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/haggai-carmon/
The Iranian meddling in Bahrain was temporarily to be put to a hold. However, the prey, albeit small in acreage, is too lucrative to be let go, and Iranian clandestine intervention continues. Bahrain, a small island kingdom in the Gulf, is coveted by Iran, its neighbor across the bay, as it has a lot to covet. Strategically located near the Hormuz straits, through which 20% of the world's oil passes, with its own production of 40,000 oil barrels a day, and with huge gas reserves, Bahrain is definitely in the sights of the Iranian regime. What makes the Iranian move to indirectly swallow Bahrain a real risk is the fact that <a href="http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/bahrain-the-widening-gulf/" target="_hplink">70%</a> of the Bahraini population is Shiite, such as <a href="http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-04-09/article/32672?headline=Some-Background-on-U.S.-Iran-Relations" target="_hplink">80%</a> of Iran's population, and the Bahraini Shiites look up to Iran for guidance, or even instructions. <br />
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The Saudi King and other Gulf States rulers read the map correctly and sent troops to protect Bahrain. The demise of the 200-year Bahrain rule of the Sunni dynasty currently headed by King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa's and its replacement by a Shiite puppet of Iran could be ominous to their own regimes. Saudi Arabia is particularly vulnerable because its rich oilfields border with Bahrain and the local population in this region is mostly Shiite. A successful Shiite takeover of Bahrain could whet the appetite of the Saudi Shiites and their Iranian comrades to follow suit. Therefore, with the invitation of the Bahraini king, 3,500 Saudi soldiers crossed the bridge linking Saudi Arabia with Bahrain to help preserve the Bahraini regime. <br />
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The Iranians are far from liking this development, which all of a sudden shuffled their cards. Now, it is no longer tiny Bahrain defending itself from Iranian sponsored subversion -- it is Iran versus Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The bar has risen. Saudi Arabia, with a cash chest that would make King Midas envious and with the backing of the U.S, is a formidable rival to Iran. <br />
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The Iranian response to the Saudi move was quick. Local media in the northeastern city of Mashhad reported that 700 people gathered outside the Saudi consulate and stoned it to protest the killing of Shiites in Bahrain. If the Saudi government fails to take the hint, additional protests are likely to follow in other Iranian cities, including Tehran.<br />
Saudi Arabia has increased its pressure on the U.S to intervene and prevent the operation of the Iranian nuclear plant in Bushehr. They <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/26/us-iran-nuclear-russia-idUSTRE70P6WS20110126" target="_hplink">quoted</a> Dmitry Rogozin the Russian ambassador to NATO who repeated a previous warning sent by Russia that "The virus attack on a Russian-built nuclear reactor in Iran could have triggered a nuclear disaster on the scale of Chernobyl." Now the concern is increased following the disaster in the Japanese reactors in Fukoshima. Although Fereydoun Abbasi the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, <a href="http://www.presstv.ir/detail/174039.html" target="_hplink">acknowledged</a> that "Even before the earthquake and nuclear contamination crisis in Japan, Iran had accepted Russian experts' proposal to revise its plans to load fuel into the core of the Bushehr power plant's reactor," Saudi Arabia continues with its pressure against Iran, as part of its effort to limit Iranian clandestine involvement in Bahrain. <br />
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The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is not new. The fervent Shiite Iran and the Sunni Saudi Arabia have long been struggling over the reign of world Muslims. Thus far, with its control of the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia has the upper hand. <br />
The saber rattling continues. Bahrain ousted the Iranian Consul in Manama, and the Iranians retorted in kind. Iran recruited once more Hezbollah, its subcontractor for dirty jobs. During a rally in Beirut, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah criticized Bahrain's monarchy for bringing in troops from neighboring Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States to quash Shiite protests. Nasrallah said the blood of the people will eventually force their regimes to grant them greater rights.<br />
The Bahraini Foreign Ministry condemned Hezbollah's criticism of its government, describing it as an intervention in Bahrain's internal affairs. A statement released by the Bahrain foreign ministry <a href="http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/03/21/bahrain-hezbollah-remarks-will-hurt-ties-with-lebanon/" target="_hplink">said</a> Nasrallah's verbal "assault against Bahrain and its people" was aimed at serving foreign interests, a reference to Iran, Hezbollah's boss. The foreign ministry described Nasrallah as the "representative of a terrorist organization with a known history in destabilizing security in the region." Apparently, Iran and its allies do not like others to play in what Iran considers its own playground.<br />
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Thus far the Iranians are wary not to directly confront the Saudis, and for a reason: For Iran, Saudi Arabia is the last major local power they need to win over; however, it is not a simple task. The Saudis' big brother is watching -- the U.S. The U.S has failed to intervene in Egypt because Egypt is dependent on U.S aid and therefore, it anticipated that the Egyptian response to the U.S lack of active support would be limited to verbal condemnation, if any. However, the terms of reference between the U.S and Saudi Arabia are diametrically different. It is Saudi Arabia that supports the U.S with money, oil and military bases. Therefore, Saudi interests and voices are more likely to be listened to attentively in Washington, D.C.<br />
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Nonetheless, the Sunnis in Bahrain have a lot to worry about. The Shiites in Bahrain demand a democratic republic instead of monarchy, and that simple message is certain to find many attentive ears in the U.S and elsewhere. However, democracy in Bahrain with a 70% Shiite majority, means Sunnis out, Shiites in, the U.S and its 5th Fleet harbor out, Iran in, including a control of the oil reserves and a direct threat to Saudi Arabia, the world's largest producer of oil in fields located next door populated by Shiites.<br />
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As absurd as it may sound, it is likely that supporters of full Western style democracy in Bahrain may at the end of the day be supporting theocratic Iran.<br />
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A dilemma, Greek for "two premises," has been likened to the horns at the front end of an angry and charging bull. Both premises are bad options.<br />
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If there were ever a decision tantamount to sitting on the horns of the dilemma, the choices the West needs to make are fitting. What would the West choose? Support democracy for approximately 350,000 Shiites in Bahrain, or risk an increased Iranian control of the spigots of the huge oil reserves, with the resulting immediate effect on the world's economy?
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/iran">Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/us">U.S.</a>, <a href="/tag/nuclear">Nuclear</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi: An Expanded GCC: Challenges and Opportunitieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/an-expanded-gcc-challenge_b_860698.htmlSultan Sooud Al-Qassemihttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/
The news of the Kingdoms of Jordan and Morocco possibly joining the Gulf Cooperation Council states was met with shock and awe amongst users of social media networks within minutes of its announcement. The new Secretary General of the GCC, Abdul Latif Al Zayani, barely a few weeks into his job <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hGozxdZlPeAsHEkP9UM0Zyzw5mrQ?docId=CNG.724821b4919bf06d1776d821791b2347.771" target="_hplink">broke the news</a> to reporters in Riyadh on Tuesday evening. But what will this expanded entity look like and what are the initial challenges and opportunities?<br />
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For the sake of clarity the term GCC, 1.0 will be used to refer to the original six members of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar while the term GCC 2.0 will refer to the expanded entity that includes the previous six states as well as Jordan and Morocco.<br />
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Although no dates are announced yet, the new post-expansion GCC 2.0 entity will have a larger population, enhanced pool of resources and a greater set of challenges. Through Jordan, the GCC 2.0 will have borders with Palestine, Syria and, most precariously, Israel. Through Morocco, GCC 2.0 will have borders with Mauritania and Algeria as well as contested territory with Spain in the towns of Ceuta and Melilla.<br />
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According to the latest <a href="http://www.newzglobe.com/article/20110511/gcc-may-not-be-six-members-anymore" target="_hplink">reports</a> by Qatar's Doha Bank, the GDP of the GCC 1.0 will this year reach $1,402 billion making it the world's thirteenth-largest economy. Although the economies of Morocco and Jordan would only contribute around $200 billion between them in aggregate, the potential to develop the services, tourism, industrial and trade sectors in these two monarchies is extremely promising. Politically, the parliaments of Jordan and Morocco are, alongside Kuwait's, amongst the most active and empowered in the Arab world today.<br />
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The GCC 2.0 means that citizens of Jordan and Morocco will be able to visit, reside and work in the GCC 1.0 states without a need for a visa. Citizens from the two new states will be able to own property, shares and other assets in their fellow bloc states.<br />
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The GCC 2.0 area would expand from 2.5 million square km to 3.3 million square km and its population would almost double from 39 million to 77 million. Thus the population of the GCC 2.0 will be equal to that of Iran, to whom perhaps this expansion is intended as a message. Unfriendly Iranian rhetoric has increased over the past few months through announcements by high-ranking officials condemning the GCC and going as far as laying claims to the Arabian Gulf itself. Joint defense agreements will also likely be swiftly enacted within the GCC 2.0 to combat foreign threats.<br />
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Most comments on social media conveyed astonishment mostly about reports that Morocco may join the six-member club rather than towards Jordan's request. The issue of the geographic location of the North African kingdom on the other end of the Arab world figured prominently. There is also the demographic element in a country whose citizens equal that of all GCC states put together. A possible scenario would see an initial European Union-like quota imposed to avoid an influx of job seeking immigrants. This quota would gradually be raised to allow accommodate a full freedom of labor within GCC 2.0.<br />
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The skepticism that the GCC 1.0 states hold towards the Arab Spring has manifested itself in this latest announcement. The Gulf states are concerned by the rapprochement that post-revolutionary Egypt has been displaying towards Iran. After Tunisia and Egypt, the survival of the 12 remaining Arab republican regimes is not guaranteed and the remaining eight Arab monarchies recognize the need to enhance collaboration both on the internal and external levels. They have identified the GCC as the ideal body for them to make an immediate and exponential leap in political, military and economic relations.<br />
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In the meantime, the Arab League, itself a weak and discredited body, will likely continue to flounder for the medium term at least until a solid democratic Egypt emerges. It would be a mistake though for the GCC 2.0 states to neglect the Arab League as an institution or the remaining republic regimes during this process. It may even be a possibility that the two entities of the GCC and Arab League eventually merge into one group.<br />
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After having spent a number of years as an observer state, will a post Ali Abdallah Saleh Republic of Yemen, the only excluded state in the Arabian Peninsula, be fast-tracked to join the GCC 2.0 should it find its ground in the near future?<br />
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The GCC itself was created thirty years ago as a result of the uncertainty behind the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war and the absence of Egypt from the Arab fold due to the Camp David peace agreement with Israel. Today, the Arab Gulf states have entered another period of uncertainty unseen in the last three decades.<br />
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The Arab world will thus be split into the monarchical and the republican regimes. A new era is unfolding in front of our eyes. Will this herald a new Arab Cold War between republicans and monarchists? Or will the spirit of the Arab Spring carry forth into the new entity encompassing Arabs of the Atlantic and of the Gulf and propel us into a more promising future?<br />
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<em>This article first appeared in <a href="http://gulfnews.com/opinions/an-expanded-gcc-challenges-and-opportunities-1.806181" target="_hplink">Gulf News</a> on Wednesday, May 11th 2011</em>
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Reuters Writer Expelled From Bahrainhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/reuters-correspondent-expelled-bahrain_n_860158.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
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(Reuters) - Bahrain said on Tuesday that it was expelling the Reuters correspondent in the Gulf kingdom.<br />
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Frederik Richter, who has been based in the capital Manama since 2008, was told to leave within a week after officials complained Reuters had lacked balance in its reporting during the recent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.<br />
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"Reuters regrets Bahrain's decision to expel its correspondent," Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said. "We stand by Frederik Richter's reporting and we will continue to provide comprehensive and unbiased coverage from the country."<br />
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An official at the Information Affairs Authority, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nezar al-Khalifa, said Bahrain was not closing down the Reuters operations in Manama and would accredit another correspondent nominated by the agency.<br />
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"We have no problem with Reuters. We're not closing the office and (Reuters) can send in a replacement," he said.<br />
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Popular protests across the Arab world this spring have put authoritarian rulers under pressure, leading many to impose curbs on the media. Before Bahrain, Syria, Libya and Saudi Arabia had expelled Reuters correspondents in recent weeks.<br />
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The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called the intensity of recent repression and attacks on the media in the Middle East and North Africa unprecedented.<br />
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In Bahrain, several journalists have been detained since protests began in February which have pitched Shi'ite Muslims, who form a majority of the island's population, against the Sunni monarchy, which accused Shi'ite Iran of fomenting unrest.<br />
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Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday: "The problems for those who defend media freedom continue to be extremely worrying in Bahrain."<br />
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Security forces, backed by troops from neighboring, Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, have stifled demonstrations. Hundreds of people have been arrested and dozens put on trial. Four Shi'ite men have been sentenced to death. The king has said a state of emergency will be lifted on June 1.<br />
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Reuters, part of New York-based Thomson Reuters, the leading information provider, employs some 3,000 journalists worldwide.<br />
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Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. <a href="http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/media/brand_guidelines/legal_notice/" target="_hplink">Click for Restrictions</a>.
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Could Bahrain Prove Crucial To The Strategic Outcome Of 'Arab Spring'? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/bahrain-arab-uprisings_n_859891.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
Given the civil war in Libya and serial massacres of opposition demonstrators in Syria , it's not surprising that another ugly campaign of repression, in the Persian Gulf emirate of Bahrain, hasn't gotten much attention. In its own way, however, Bahrain could prove crucial to the outcome of this year's Arab uprisings -- and to whether it advances or damages the strategic interests of the United States.<br />
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<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/islam">Islam</a>, <a href="/tag/arab-spring">Arab Spring</a>, <a href="/tag/muslim">Muslim</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-protests">Bahrain Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/arab-uprisings">Arab Uprisings</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
West Turns Blind Eye To Bahrain Crackdown http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/bahrain-protests-news_n_859393.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
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The fate of Bahrain's protest movement is a stark reminder of how Western and regional power politics can trump reformist yearnings, even in an Arab world convulsed by popular uprisings against entrenched autocrats.<br />
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Bahrain is not Libya or Syria, but Western tolerance of the Sunni monarchy's crackdown suggests that interests such as the U.S. naval base in Manama, ties to oil giant Saudi Arabia and the need to contain neighboring Iran outweigh any sympathy with pro-democracy demonstrators mostly from the Shi'ite majority.<br />
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"The response from the West has been very timid and it shows the double standards in its foreign policy compared to Libya," said Nabeel Rajab of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.<br />
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"Saudi influence is so huge on Bahrain now and the West has not stood up to it, which has disappointed many. They're losing the hearts and minds of the democrats in Bahrain."<br />
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Iran has hardly been consistent either, fiercely criticizing Bahrain's treatment of its Shi'ites, and praising Arab revolts elsewhere as "Islamic awakenings" -- except the uprising in its lone Arab ally Syria, which it blames on a U.S.-Israeli plot.<br />
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Bahrain's king said on Sunday a state of emergency, imposed in March after Saudi-led troops arrived to help crush protests, would be lifted on June 1, two weeks before it expires.<br />
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That would be two days before a deadline set by Formula One organizers for Bahrain to decide whether to reschedule a Grand Prix it was to have hosted on March 13. The motor race was postponed because of the unrest then shaking the Gulf island.<br />
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Bahrain is eager to prove that stability has returned after the upheaval in which at least 29 people, all but six of them Shi'ites, have been killed since protests erupted in February.<br />
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VERBAL SLAPS<br />
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Apart from verbal slaps on the wrist, the United States and its allies have stood by as Bahrain, egged on by Saudi Arabia, has pursued a punitive campaign that appears to target Shi'ites in general, not just the advocates of more political freedoms, a constitutional monarchy and an end to sectarian discrimination.<br />
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Some protesters had gone further, demanding the overthrow of the al-Khalifa family that has ruled Bahrain for 200 years.<br />
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Bahrain, which accuses Shi'ite Iran of instigating the unrest, has detained hundreds of protesters and put dozens on trial in special courts. Others have lost their government jobs.<br />
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The dragnet has swept up politicians, journalists and even medical staff. Four detainees have died in police custody. The government denies reports by rights groups of torture and abuse.<br />
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Last month the main Shi'ite Wefaq opposition party reported the demolition, often by night, of at least 25 Shi'ite mosques -- described by the authorities as illegal structures.<br />
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Pro-government media have depicted the protesters as violent traitors, driven by sectarian designs to disenfranchise Sunnis and encouraged by Iran to further its regional influence.<br />
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"Bahrain has killed twice as many of its citizens as Syria has if one adjusts for population size. Yet its ambassador was welcome at the Royal Wedding in Britain, and Bahrain was given a pass for repressing its revolution," said Joshua Landis, a Middle East expert at Oklahoma University.<br />
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"Either it is because Shi'ites are not considered as highly as Sunnis due to Western enmity with Iran and fear of the 'Shi'ite Crescent', as it is often called, or it is because the U.S. has a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia and needs oil and military bases in the Persian Gulf," Landis said.<br />
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Western officials deny that military action against Muammar Gaddafi's Libya versus rebukes for Bahrain reflect hypocrisy.<br />
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LIBYA QUITE DIFFERENT<br />
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"There is a complete difference between the two circumstances," British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt told Reuters last week, citing Libyan and Arab League calls for Western action to halt Gaddafi's intent to kill his own people.<br />
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"We'll continue to make representations to Bahrain, but in Bahrain there was a political process of dialogue between respective factions which we would encourage to be continued."<br />
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Saudi intervention, however, stymied any immediate prospects of political dialogue in Bahrain, as hardliners in the ruling al-Khalifa family silenced reformists led by the Crown Prince.<br />
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Washington has offered only muted criticism of its Bahraini ally in public, although even some Shi'ite politicians acknowledge it has raised its voice in private.<br />
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"There was sustained pressure from Western governments, especially the U.S.. But it was low-profile, given the friendly relationships with Bahrain," said Wefaq's Jasim Husain.<br />
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The United States, trying to balance its interests and its ideals as revolts threaten its Arab friends and foes alike, has struck a middle course on Syria, an old antagonist.<br />
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It has tightened sanctions to punish President Bashar al-Assad's use of force against demonstrators, but has stopped short of calling for the overthrow of a regime it sees as a vital, if unsavory, component in regional stability.<br />
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"Bahrain escaped the kind of criticism Syria got out of deference to Saudi Arabia, which has absolutely no interest in reforms in Bahrain, let alone regime change," Murhaf Jouejati, a Middle East scholar at George Washington University, said.<br />
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"Moreover, Bahrain, an ally of both Saudi Arabia and the U.S., is home to the U.S. Fifth fleet, and Washington has every interest in the continued dominance of the pro-American and anti-Iranian Bahraini monarchy."<br />
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For now, Bahrain may have jammed the authoritarian lid back on, at a significant cost in national trauma, sectarian rancor and regional tension. It is hard to imagine the story is over.<br />
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(Additional reporting by Fredrik Richter in Bahrain and Adrian Croft in London; editing by David Stamp)<br />
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Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. <a href="http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/media/brand_guidelines/legal_notice/" target="_hplink">Click for Restrictions</a>.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/manamabahrain">Manama-Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-human-rights">Bahrain Human Rights</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-protests">Bahrain Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-antigovernment-protests">Bahrain Anti-Government Protests</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Barry Lando: Osama Bin Laden -- Everyone's Missing the Pointhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/barry-lando/osama-bin-laden-dead_b_856251.htmlBarry Landohttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/barry-lando/
The jubilation of Americans and Western leaders at the death of Osama bin Laden, though understandable, misses the point. In many ways, the figure gunned down in Pakistan was already irrelevant -- more a symbol of past dangers than a real threat for the future. <br />
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Indeed, from the point of view of America and many of its allies, the most menacing symbol in the Arab World today is not Osama bin Laden but another Arab who recently met a violent death -- Mohamed Bouazizi, the 26-year-old Tunisian fruit vendor who chose to set himself on fire after being harassed by corrupt local police. <br />
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His act, of course, ignited the storm that has spread across the Arab World and proven a much more serious threat to America's allies in the region than al Qaeda ever was. Ironically, his sacrifice probably also dealt a far more devastating blow to al Qaeda's fortunes than the assassination of Osama bin Laden. <br />
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The Arab world today bears no relationship to the situation a decade ago after 9/11. Obsessed with bin Laden and al Qaeda, the U.S. has been sucked into a vast quagmire -- a disaster for the Americans, their economy, and their standing in the Arab World. <br />
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What particularly provoked Osama bin Laden -- a Saudi -- was the decision of Saudi rulers to accept the presence of more than a hundred thousand "infidel" U.S. troops and their allies in Saudi Arabia following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. In general, he and his followers were outraged by U.S. support for corrupt, repressive regimes from Saudi Arabia to Egypt to Yemen, as well, of course, for America's backing of Israel.<br />
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As Osama himself <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/02osama-bin-laden-obituary.html?ref=todayspaper" target="_hplink"> told CNN in 1997</a>, "the U.S. wants to occupy our countries, steal our resources, impose agents on us to rule us and then wants us to agree to all this. If we refuse to do so, it says we are terrorists... Wherever we look, we find the U.S. as the leader of terrorism and crime in the world."<br />
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Bin Laden's message resonated throughout the Muslim world. But U.S. officials remained deaf to its meaning, and continued obsessed with al Qaeda and its Taliban allies. The upshot -- U.S. policy was the best recruiter Osama could have asked for. Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, CIA killer teams, mercenaries, predators, and "diplomats" swarmed across the region from Iraq to Afghanistan to Pakistan to Yemen and Somalia, supported by sprawling new bases and pharaonic embassies. <br />
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The bill for all this -- for an America crippled by cutbacks in health, infrastructure. and education -- will be in the trillions of dollars. But despite this massive effort, none of those targeted Arab countries could by any stretch of the imagination be considered a success story. Hostility to the U.S. is high throughout the region.<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5077984.stm" target="_hplink"> In polls</a>, the majority of those Arabs queried consider the United States a greater threat than al Qaeda.<br />
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In Pakistan, despite the U.S. lavishing tens of billions of dollars on that country's military, it turns out that Osama bin Laden, rather than groveling as an outlaw in the isolated tribal regions, has been living in a fortified villa near the country's major military academy and a large army base, just a few miles away from the capital city. <br />
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America had also launched an ambitious civilian aid program: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/pakistan901/aid.html" target="_hplink">$7.5 billion</a> over five years, designed to win Pakistani hearts and minds and bolster the civilian government. But, corruption is so rife throughout the Pakistani government, and its officials so incompetent, that the U.S. has been unable to disburse most of the aid. As the<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/asia/02pakistan.html?ref=todayspaper" target="_hplink"> <em>New York Times</em></a> reports:<br />
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<blockquote><p>Instead of polishing the tarnished image of America with a suspicious, even hostile, Pakistani public and government, the plan has resulted in bitterness and a sense of broken promises...</p><br />
<p>The economy is failing. Education, health care and other services are almost nonexistent, while civilian leaders from the landed and industrialist classes pay hardly any taxes.</p><br />
<p>Pakistanis see the aid as a crude attempt to buy friendship and an effort to alleviate antipathy toward United States drone attacks against militants in the tribal areas. </p></blockquote><br />
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The same reports come from Afghanistan. A decade after the U.S. invaded, tens of thousands of American troops are still fighting what seems to be, at best, a see-saw battle against the Taliban. There also, according to another report in the<a href=" http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/world/asia/01road.html?ref=asia" target="_hplink"> <em>New York Times</em> </a>, the U.S. is backing incompetent, corrupt, unpopular leaders. Millions of dollars of U.S. funds actually get diverted as payoffs to the Taliban and their allies -- bribing them not to attack U.S. projects, such as $65 million highway that may never be completed in Eastern Afghanistan. <br />
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<blockquote>The vast expenses and unsavory alliances surrounding the highway have become a parable of the corruption and mismanagement that turns so many well-intended development efforts in Afghanistan into sinkholes for the money of American taxpayers, even nine years into the war. </blockquote><br />
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Now back to Mohamed Bouazizi the Tunisian fruit vendor whose death unleashed the Arab Spring that is still roiling the region.<br />
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Though Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda have yet to be credited with overthrowing an Arab regime, the spark provided by Bouazizi has already led to the downfall of American-backed tyrants in Tunisia and Egypt, and continues to threaten other despots in Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. <br />
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Ironically, most of the leaders overthrown or desperately trying to hang on to power had declared themselves implacable enemies of al Qaeda. Yet, again, it was not bin Laden, but Bouazizi, who turned out to be a far greater menace.<br />
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Precisely for that reason, it is Bouazizi's Arab Spring, not sophisticated U.S. killer teams, that most threaten al Qaeda and its allies. By demonstrating that secular uprisings can succeed in toppling the aged, crusty tyrannies, young Arabs across the region have -- so far -- undercut the appeal of the Islamic radicals. <br />
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So far, because despite the early successes in Tunisia and Egypt, the future of the Arab Spring is far from clear. The current process will take decades to play out. The political and economic establishments have been decapitated in Egypt and Tunisia, but not decimated. In the rest of the region, though seriously shaken, the old order still reigns supreme. <br />
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The same corrupt Saudi regime that fueled bin Laden's outrage is still in power, still backed by the United States. Indeed, they have been doing their utmost to tamp the spreading revolt, spending millions to bribe Yemen's tribal leaders, dispatching their troops to Bahrain to help crush the uprising of the Shiite majority in that country. <br />
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Indeed, that brutal repression may radicalize thousands of young Shiites, generating hosts of new recruits for al Qaeda or other extremists Islamic groups -- even as the corpse of Osama bin Laden lies somewhere at the bottom of the sea. <br />
<br />
<em><br />
First published in Truthdig.com.</em>
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/yemen">Yemen</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/mohammed-bouazizi">Mohammed Bouazizi</a>, <a href="/tag/osama-bin-laden">Osama Bin Laden</a>, <a href="/tag/egypt">Egypt</a>, <a href="/tag/osama-bin-laden-dead">Osama Bin Laden Dead</a>, <a href="/tag/osama-bin-laden-death">Osama Bin Laden Death</a>, <a href="/tag/libya">Libya</a>, <a href="/tag/osama-bin-laden-killed">Osama Bin Laden Killed</a>, <a href="/tag/arab-spring">Arab Spring</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Thor Halvorssen: A Royal Wedding Divorced of Human Rights Concerns; Dictators Will Eat Wedding Cakehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor-halvorssen/a-royal-wedding-divorced-_b_854430.htmlThor Halvorssenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor-halvorssen/
LONDON, ENGLAND--At exactly 30 minutes past noon this Friday, the just-married future King and Queen of England will arrive at Buckingham Palace in their 1902 State Landau carriage, richly adorned with gold leaf and upholstered in crimson satin.<br />
<br />
At the palace, a Guard of Honour comprising three officers and 101 other ranks from the Number 2 Company 1st Battalion Welsh Guards will be positioned in the forecourt for their jubilant arrival.<br />
<br />
Two million visitors will be in London during the royal ceremony and will experience a range of aircraft--a Lancaster, a Spitfire, a Hurricane, two Tornados, and two Typhoons--the last four flying in Windsor formation, honoring the royal couple with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.<br />
<br />
<img alt="2011-04-27-WilliamandKate.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2011-04-27-WilliamandKate.jpg" width="300" height="269" /><br />
<em>Prince William and Kate Middleton</em><br />
<br />
Several hundred guests will be in attendance at the royal service at Westminster Abbey. According to the official Royal Wedding <a href="http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/content/documents/Royal%20Wedding%20media%20briefing_230411.doc" target="_hplink">media briefing</a>, "all Heads of Mission in London representing countries with which the United Kingdom has normal diplomatic relations" have been invited. These include: Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, the crown prince of Bahrain, the Syrian ambassador representing Bashar al-Assad (<strong>update below</strong>), the Belarusian ambassador (representing Alexander Lukashenko), the Burmese ambassador (representing Than Shwe), Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, the ambassador of Equatorial Guinea (representing Teodoro Obiang Nguema), King Mswati III of Swaziland, and Gabriel Machinga, Robert Mugabe's ambassador from Zimbabwe.<br />
<br />
Any hope that the future King of England will make his debut on the world stage by communicating that his will be a different kind of monarchy is all but lost. Prince William and Kate Middleton are sending the following message with their list of guests: You can disappear protestors (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/world/middleeast/19bahrain.html" target="_hplink">Bahrain</a>), kill democracy activists (<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/04/27/syria.unrest/" target="_hplink">Syria</a>), starve your people (<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/feb/25/zimbabwe.andrewmeldrum" target="_hplink">Zimbabwe</a>), allow modern slavery and the total subjection of women (<a href="http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/saudi-arabia/page.do?id=1011230" target="_hplink">Saudi Arabia</a>), and you will be embraced by the British kingdom in all its grandeur at its most significant event in recent history.<br />
<br />
It would be naïve for human rights campaigners to assume that states will not engage in diplomatic talks or even economic relationships with dictatorships and totalitarian monarchies. After all, Western Europe and the United States are appalled by human rights violations in North Korea, yet look the other way when China behaves in a similar manner. A sad and ongoing example of this is the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Laogai-Machinery-Repression-Nicole-Kempton/dp/1884167772" target="_hplink">Laogai</a>--slave labor camps for political opponents in China containing more than eight million prisoners.<br />
<br />
Realpolitik means that diplomats, presidents, and prime ministers must deal with each other politely and even with pomp and circumstance. Norway's king recently received Vladimir Putin's henchman Dmitri Medvedev in Oslo, even though Medvedev is a sworn enemy of human rights. Medvedev was there <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9FAQ2R00.htm" target="_hplink">to settle a longstanding border dispute</a>. But it is an altogether different thing for the Queen of England to invite a bunch of butchers and their representatives to her grandson's wedding celebration. Who sent these invitations? The Queen? Prince William and Kate? Some unnamed bureaucrat?<br />
<br />
Windsor Palace responds that this is all <a href="http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2011/04/24/Blair-Brown-left-off-royal-wedding-list/UPI-99721303658554/" target="_hplink">protocol</a>. The Zimbabwean, Bahraini, and Saudi presence is protocol, as is the absence of an invitation to Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, or even Barack Obama.<br />
<br />
The British monarchy has undergone change for the last thousand years and its survival as a crucial institution to Britain's unity and well-being depends on its ability to adapt. Chief among these adaptations should be that "protocol" of this sort must be changed. Now.<br />
<br />
If Kate Middleton were in Saudi Arabia, she wouldn't be able to travel, drive her car, go to school, or even apply for a job without the permission of her husband, nor would she be able to marry without the permission of her father. In short, she could not have crewed Round the World Challenge boats in the Solent, or even attended St. Andrews, where she met Prince William and studied to become, in due course, the only queen of England to ever to hold a university degree. She and William owe it to their generation to address human rights if Windsor Palace refuses to budge.<br />
<br />
Human rights are no longer something that should be on the table in such remarkably public "private" affairs--human rights is the table, and ruthless dictators should not be invited to sit at it. And until that reality comes to pass and despots live in a world of complete isolation, we will continue to see millions of innocent people suffer without their most fundamental freedoms while the world turns away to watch, say, lavish royal weddings.<br />
<br />
<img alt="2011-04-27-Wintour.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2011-04-27-Wintour.jpg" width="300" height="195" /><br />
Vogue<em>'s Anna Wintour: easily seduced by the Syrian <br />
dictatorships ill-gotten wealth and power</em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.vogue.com/vogue-daily/article/asma-al-assad-a-rose-in-the-desert/" target="_hplink">Last month</a>, <em>Vogue</em> revealed its pitiable fecklessness by featuring a revoltingly flattering article about the wife of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Thankfully there was a swift <a href="http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/25/Vogues_ridiculous_puff_piece_on_Syrias_ruling_family" target="_hplink">outcry</a> and <em>Vogue</em>'s fawning impressionable editor, Anna Wintour, will probably think twice next time she and her cohorts are seduced by power of the dictatorial variety.<br />
<br />
Libyan tyrant Muammar Gaddafi and his family have a penchant for Hollywood's entertainers and put millions of dollars in the pockets of Mariah Carey, Usher, Nelly Furtado, 50 Cent, and Beyoncé, revealing that they, too, can be seduced by a criminal gang with coin.<br />
<br />
<img alt="2011-04-27-celebs.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2011-04-27-celebs.jpg" width="300" height="179" /><br />
Get rich or die tryin'<em>: Beyoncé, Usher, Maria Carey, <br />
Nelly Furtado, and 50 cent, who performed for<br />
Gaddafi, all have the same motivation to cater to <br />
dictators as the British royals: money.</em><br />
<br />
Apparently the embarrassment is such that all of them are giving those performance fees to charity. They likely would never have done this without public disgrace. Mariah Carey claimed that she was "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/mar/10/50-cent-donate-gaddafi-money" target="_hplink">unaware of who I was booked to perform for</a>." Only an idiot (and these performers are hardly idiots--they have well-paid agents, managers, publicists, and entourages) could claim they didn't know what was going on.<br />
<br />
Unlike the dictatorial regimes and absolute monarchies mentioned, Britain is a <em>constitutional</em> monarchy with freedom of speech, rule of law, and a system where citizens can choose their leaders in a framework that respects human rights.<br />
<br />
It is a shame that Prince William and Kate dishonor these values by toasting with the world's autocrats and their minions, while millions live and die in bondage and despair that the world's glitterati don't give a damn.<br />
<br />
<strong>Update: </strong>As a result of the pressure and outrage involving the invitation list, <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/762a20f0-718c-11e0-9b7a-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1KqJm2C4B" target="_hplink">Syria has just been disinvited</a>. Let's hope they do the same with others.<br />
<br />
<br />
<em><strong>Thor Halvorssen is president of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation and founder and CEO of the <a href="http://www.oslofreedomforum.com/" target="_hplink">Oslo Freedom Forum</a>. Follow him on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ThorHalvorssen" target="_hplink">Twitter</a> and on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thorhalvorssen" target="_hplink">Facebook</a>.</strong><br />
</em>
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/human-rights">Human Rights</a>, <a href="/tag/prince-william">Prince William</a>, <a href="/tag/royal-wedding">Royal Wedding</a>, <a href="/tag/kate-middleton">Kate Middleton</a>, <a href="/tag/royalty">Royalty</a>, <a href="/tag/britain">Britain</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/dictators">Dictators</a>, <a href="/tag/gaddafi">Gaddafi</a>, <a href="/tag/mariah-carey">Mariah Carey</a>, <a href="/tag/beyonce">Beyonce</a>, <a href="/tag/nelly-furtado">Nelly Furtado</a>, <a href="/tag/usher">Usher</a>, <a href="/tag/libya">Libya</a>, <a href="/tag/50-cent">50 Cent</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Bahrain Sentences Four Protesters To Deathhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/28/bahrain-execution-protesters_n_854788.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A military court in Bahrain sentenced four Shiite protesters to death after convicting them on Thursday of killing two policemen during anti-government demonstrations last month, state media said.<br />
<br />
Three other Shiite activists, who were also on trial, were sentenced to life in prison after they were convicted of playing a role in the policemen's deaths.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-protesters-death-sentence">Bahrain Protesters Death Sentence</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-executions">Bahrain Executions</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-protests">Bahrain Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-protesters">Bahrain Protesters</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-antigovernment-protests">Bahrain Anti-Government Protests</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Amir Madani: Arabian Spring: The Hidden Tragedy of Bahrainhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/amir-madani/bahrain-arab-spring_b_854191.htmlAmir Madanihttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/amir-madani/
"The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must." <br />
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, his account of the war between Sparta and Athens (fifth century BC)<br />
<br />
This statement seems to me not only unfair but, at the current stage of development of civilization, a threat to human survival. <br />
<br />
<br />
Let us read a modern tragedy together. Nicholas D. Kristof, one of the most authoritative <em>New York Times</em> columnists, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/opinion/17kristof.html" target="_hplink">wrote</a> about Bahrain in these terms a few weeks ago: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>In Bahrain in recent weeks, I've seen corpses of protesters who were shot at close range, seen a teenage girl writhing in pain after being clubbed, seen ambulance workers beaten for trying to rescue protesters -- and in the last few days it has gotten much worse. Saudi Arabia, in a slap at American efforts to defuse the crisis, dispatched troops to Bahrain to help crush the protesters.</blockquote><br />
<br />
<br />
In order to better understand what is happening in Bahrain, Kristof speaks with a colleague who is on the field and writes: <br />
<br />
<blockquote><p>My New York Times colleague Michael Slackman was caught by Bahrain security forces a few weeks ago. He said they pointed shotguns at him and that he was afraid they were about to shoot when he pulled out his passport and shouted that he was an American journalist. He said the mood then changed abruptly and the leader of the group came over and took Mr. Slackman's hand, saying warmly : "Don't worry! We love Americans!"</p><br />
<p>"We're not after you. We're after Shia," the policeman added. Mr. Slackman recalls: "It sounded like they were hunting rats."</p></blockquote><br />
<br />
<br />
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the regime of creating a "climate of fear," particularly in Shia neighborhoods and villages where nighttime raids appear designed mainly to instill terror among the mostly poor residents. <br />
<br />
This is the sense of what is happening in Bahrain, the tiny isle located on the south side of the Persian Gulf where the ruling al-Khalifa from the Sunni minority is threatening the majority Shiite population. Of course there is diversity and ethnic variety in Bahrain, as elsewhere, which extends even into the religious field. Tulin Daloglu, a Turkish journalist based in Washington, <a href="http://www.tulindaloglu.com/blog/?p=67" target="_hplink">writes</a>: "Sectarianism in the Middle East is grievous, pernicious and enveloped in denial."<br />
<br />
However, the Bahraini have not taken to the streets for primarily sectarian reasons, but rather to demand democracy and the recognition of civil rights; and, yes, the end of the apartheid system that excludes the majority of the population from full political life and reserves all the levers of power for the minority. As in other Arab countries, the Bahraini have begun pushing their own political and economic demands. <br />
<br />
The Saudi and Bahraini political narrative blames Iran for Bahrain's unrest. Yet U.S. Defense Deputy Robert Gates sounded remarkably different. While visiting Bahrain, he said there was no evidence of Iranian complicity behind the unrest there. However, "emerging from a meeting with King Abdullah, Gates <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/04/14-5" target="_hplink">claimed</a> for the first time to have 'evidence that the Iranians are trying to exploit the situation in Bahrain.'" That remark stood in sharp contrast to his dismissal during his last trip to the Gulf three days before the martial law declaration of Saudi and Bahraini charges that Tehran was behind the unrest.<br />
<br />
Gates' sudden conversion to the Saudi and Bahraini political line clearly needs some explaining. The United States has repeatedly <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/15/wikileaks-no-evidence-iran-bahrain" target="_hplink">dismissed claims</a> by the Bahraini government that Shia Muslim unrest in the Gulf island state is backed by Iran, while, on the other hand, there is a deep-rooted, indigenous democratic movement within civil society. <br />
<br />
The speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum indicates the right direction to follow: A political process that "advances the <a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/04/15/US-defends-Bahrain-policy/UPI-27661302879836/" target="_hplink">rights and aspirations</a> of all the citizens of Bahrain" because "<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-13/clinton-warns-arab-leaders-time-is-short-for-political-reform.html" target="_hplink">security alone</a> cannot resolve the challenges." Everyone is aware that only constitutional order and the rule of law can isolate the radicals of all backgrounds and provide a lasting stability in Bahrain and in the region. However, the royal family has talked about dialogue but has not made any meaningful concessions, and the security forces remain almost as brutal as any in the region.<br />
<br />
In light of all of this, a question arises: Why did the United Nations approve the no-fly zone to stop crimes against humanity in Libya, but remain silent about the on-going <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/bahrains-secret-terror-2270675.html" target="_hplink">secret terror</a> and genocide in Bahrain ? <br />
<br />
North American and European governments, so vocal recently in espousing the cause of human rights in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, need also to speak out loudly about what is going on in Bahrain," <a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/bahrain-international-pressure-needed-now-halt-spiralling-human-rights-crisis-2011-" target="_hplink">said</a> Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East and North Africa. <br />
<br />
What could be the basis for this double standard, if not the self interest of the great powers? Why does the U.S. put <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-secretly-backed-syrian-opposition-groups-cables-released-by-wikileaks-show/2011/04/14/AF1p9hwD_story.html?hpid=z1" target="_hplink">pressure</a> on Syria for change, yet remain silent in front of Saudi Arabia's brutal policy of suppressing the protests and sending troops to Bahrain? <br />
<br />
<a href=" http://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper/A%20Section/2011-04-12/A/16/18.0.2374495593_epaper.html" target="_hplink">According to</a> the <em>Washington Post</em>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>President Obama has backed a NATO intervention to stop crimes against humanity in Libya, and he has denounced as "abhorrent" the bloody crackdown in Syria. But the president and his administration remain mostly silent about another ugly campaign of repression underway in the Arab world, in the Persian Gulf Emirate of Bahrain.</blockquote><br />
<br />
<br />
Let us forget for a moment those millions of people who took to the streets demanding democracy, rights and new stability. Let us think following the thought of Thucydides : "Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must." <br />
<br />
In some "realist" circles of Western chancelleries it is believed that Arab country dictatorial systems can no longer ensure stability. So it was thought to set a new stability. In order not to alarm the ruling elite, which they have supported for decades, an "orderly transition" was envisioned. It was thought that they would not press for instant democracy everywhere, but would urge Arab ruling elites to respect basic rights -- the rule of law, free speech and fair elections -- precisely because denying people such basic rights was the cause of instability. No more Neocon bombs dropped from 40,000 feet to install democracy, but rather real reforms. No more exporting democracy -- but extending it. Something like: a low-key version of <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/18440625?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/ar/ghostoftony" target="_hplink">neoconservatism</a>, wagering that gradual reforms would bring more stability than despotism. <br />
<br />
This moderate approach could be a step toward a major equilibrium with the capacity to promote a new stability through some basic rights. Yet what has been done, in practice? The weak economies in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen are left more or less to their destiny, while efforts are directed toward trying to destabilize Syria. At the same time, the rich oil kingdom of Saudi Arabia is allowed to suppress internal protests and send troops into Bahrain and support the fundamentalists in "Syria, where citizens are engaged in the struggle for democracy."<br />
<br />
The United Nations approves the no-fly zone to stop crimes against humanity in Libya, now in danger of becoming a classic endless war. Is the goal to drag the Libyan dictator in front of an international court for horrendous crimes, or just to get their hands on Libyan energy resources? <br />
<br />
While President Obama has taken on the heavy neocon legacy (Afghanistan and Iraq) he continues with uncertainty some policies that are still awaiting a clear direction. The direction that was indicated by the Nobel Prize. <br />
<br />
Nicolas Sarkozy, "an alarmingly mercurial figure," <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/24/france-hawk-germany-demurs-libya-europe" target="_hplink">insists</a> on bombs while Mr. Cameron <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/18440625?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/ar/ghostoftony" target="_hplink">assures</a> British voters "this mission is not merely an outbreak of do-goodery, rooted in national interests and, limited in scope." <br />
<br />
The general trend in Germany to seeking a diplomatic solution for a "soft transition" remains a minority voice. Meanwhile, China looks on all this in silence and advances in small steps trying to stop the protests on its borders, while Russia shows signs of impatience by trying to cover all positions. <br />
<br />
All this tells us that democracy in the Arab world is not a foregone conclusion and that global political players are still hesitant to promote a new stability without dictatorships. There is the predominance of geopolitical logic over the desire to promote basic rights. This means a lack of security and stability for Arabs. As far as security is concerned, either it is there for all or for no one (in the words of President Kennedy) -- we all have less security. We saw that during the peaceful popular protest of Arab streets, al Qaeda has been forced into silence and retreat. The lack of democratic reforms could only give back life-blood to that monster.<br />
<br />
Although Thucydides seems to be dramatically present, millions of human beings are moving against the tide, demanding laws and civil rights, including the pro-democracy inhabitants of the tiny island of Bahrain. If those who hold power at the macro level are not committed to finding even minimum solutions, the human collective will continue its path marked by general insecurity.<br />
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/shia">Shia</a>, <a href="/tag/syria">Syria</a>, <a href="/tag/egypt">Egypt</a>, <a href="/tag/arabian-spring">Arabian Spring</a>, <a href="/tag/iran">Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/usislamic-world-forum">U.S.-Islamic World Forum</a>, <a href="/tag/shiites">Shiites</a>, <a href="/tag/tunisia">Tunisia</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/libya">Libya</a>, <a href="/tag/hillary-clinton">Hillary Clinton</a>, <a href="/tag/iraq">Iraq</a>, <a href="/tag/amnesty-international">Amnesty International</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
John Feffer: Libya and the Undead Chickenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-feffer/libya-war-gaddafi_b_854029.htmlJohn Fefferhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-feffer/
<p>Muammar Gaddafi is the undead chicken. Bashar al-Assad of Syria and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain are the unscared monkeys.</p><br />
<p>The United States has shaped its policy toward the evolving situation in the Middle East according to the Chinese proverb of “killing the chicken to scare the monkey.” The Obama administration has intervened in the conflict in Libya with the apparent goal of punishing Gaddafi for cracking down on the emerging protest movement back in February. This intervention was designed to send a message to other autocrats in the region: don’t fire on your unarmed opposition -- or else.</p><br />
<p>But the United States and its allies are having problems with the "or else" part of the equation. Despite going beyond a no-fly zone, they have only struck a glancing blow against Gaddafi. The chicken is bleeding, but it hasn’t yet flown the coop. Rebel forces have regained their edge in the key city of Misurata, but Gaddafi’s air strikes have also <a href="http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1604754">knocked out oil production</a> in the rebel-held zone for a month. There are voices inside NATO calling for more: more U.S. involvement, a surge in air strikes, even boots on the ground. The talk of where to send Gaddafi into exile <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/04/20/f-vp-brian-stewart-libya-nato.html">has shifted</a> to how to handle him if he survives the onslaught.</p><br />
<p>The Obama administration continues to insist that the mission is all about protecting civilians, not instigating regime change. But that position has become ever more difficult to maintain, especially with the recent introduction of unmanned drones and their dubious record of killing large numbers of civilians in Pakistan. In Vietnam, we destroyed villages to save them; in Libya, are we killing civilians to save them? Or is U.S. policy, as in Kosovo, more about protecting U.S. soldiers by dispensing death from a distance? Humanitarian intervention is not a dinner party, as Mao Zedong might have said under the circumstances. It’s not for the squeamish. And monkeys are not scared by chickens that have only been roughed up.</p><br />
<p>In Syria and Bahrain, the authorities may well be under siege, but the unfolding of the Libya scenario has not prompted them to step down, institute major reforms, or otherwise demonstrate their fear of outside pressure.</p><br />
<p>In Bahrain, for instance, Washington has given the ruling al-Khalifa family little more than a slap on the wrist. Since the protests began in February, the government has cracked down hard. Government forces killed more than 20 protesters; several <a href="http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/04/13/bahrain-suspicious-deaths-custody">have died under suspicious circumstances</a> in custody; more than 30 medical personnel <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-24/bahrain-opposition-accuses-government-of-demolishing-30-mosques.html">have simply disappeared</a>. “U.S. pressure was crucial in advancing democratic revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, but Washington has been far from helpful for Gulf protesters,” writes Foreign Policy In Focus (FPIF) contributor Richard Javad Heydarian in "<a href="http://www.fpif.org/articles/the_economics_of_the_arab_spring">The Economics of the Arab Spring</a>." “This has reinforced many protesters’ views of the United States as a staunch supporter of oppressive regimes rather than a democracy promoter.” </p><br />
<p>In addition to hosting the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet -- and thereby holding it hostage -- Bahrain has spooked Washington by identifying the hand of Iran behind the opposition’s activities. “With reference to Iran’s alleged covert intelligence activities in Bahrain, the leader of the National Unity Gathering party, Shaykh Abd-al-Latif al-Mahmud, went so far as to claim that the Iranian charge d’affaires himself was distributing weapons to <em>Shi’a</em> protesters in Manama,” writes FPIF contributor Bernd Kaussler in "<a href="http://www.fpif.org/articles/gulf_of_mistrust_iran_and_the_gulf_protests">Gulf of Mistrust</a>."</p><br />
<p>In Syria, Assad knows that the Obama administration is not going to take on yet another military intervention, particularly in a country that could easily disintegrate into a nasty civil war. Even Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the Hill's greatest champion of military intervention in Libya, <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/157529-mccain-says-no-to-us-or-nato-military-intervention-in-syria">is not calling for something similar</a> in Syria. The Syrian government has already killed several hundred protesters and sealed off the city of Dara’a, where major protests began. As a result, the Obama administration is considering targeted sanctions. But even pulling the ambassador from Damascus is not yet on the table. If the demonstrators eventually dislodge Assad or his family or the Alawite minority that rules the country, it will not likely be because of a no-fly zone or similar military action. The most that the United States has done is fund an anti-government TV station. After all, Washington is not even sure that it wants Assad gone, since the <a href="http://www.fpif.org/articles/us_denies_it_is_trying_to_undermine_assad">alternatives might be less palatable</a>.</p><br />
<p>Those who hope that the Arab Spring will turn into an Arab Summer can take some heart from the turn of events in Yemen. Readers of <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/11/110411fa_fact_filkins">Dexter Filkins’ in-depth piece on Yemen</a> in the <em>New Yorker</em> might come away with the impression that President Ali Abdullah Saleh could retain power forever through a mixture of brutality, pay-offs, and careful manipulation of a variety of <em>après-moi-le-deluge</em> threats including an emboldened al Qaeda and a Somali-like failed state. And yet, even as Assad was sending in the tanks in Dara’a and Gaddafi was battling the rebels in Misurata, Saleh offered to meet a key opposition demand by stepping down. The catch is that he <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/04/25/135697187/yemens-president-wants-immunity-to-step-down">wants immunity from prosecution</a>. The opposition, however, wants to see Saleh on trial, and who can blame them? Poles had to stomach a transition period with the much-reviled Wojciech Jaruzelski as president in 1989. In contrast, Egyptians have had the distinct pleasure of seeing Mubarak and sons go to prison. The Yemenis were aiming for an Egyptian solution but it <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/world/middleeast/26yemen.html?_r=1">now appears that they are settling</a> for a Polish one.</p><br />
<p>Saleh’s sudden vulnerability stems largely from the courageous efforts of the opposition movement. He certainly didn't learn the lesson of Libya, which was that a tyrant can oppress his people, stand up to the international community, and live to rule another day. Like his fellow authoritarians in Syria and Bahrain, Muammar Gaddafi is not yet taking the golden parachute option. By maintaining his status as an undead chicken, he aims to make a monkey out of the Obama administration.</p><br />
<br />
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<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/libya">Libya</a>, <a href="/tag/yemen">Yemen</a>, <a href="/tag/muammar-gaddafi">Muammar Gaddafi</a>, <a href="/tag/syria">Syria</a>, <a href="/tag/nato">Nato</a>, <a href="/tag/ali-abdullah-saleh">Ali Abdullah Saleh</a>, <a href="/tag/libya-war">Libya War</a>, <a href="/tag/us-foreign-policy">US Foreign Policy</a>, <a href="/tag/us-middle-east-policy">Us Middle East Policy</a>, <a href="/tag/king-hamad-bin-isa-al-khalifa">King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa</a>, <a href="/tag/bashar-alassad">Bashar Al-Assad</a>, <a href="/tag/us-libya">US Libya</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi: McCarthyist Rhetoric Sweeps Gulf Social Mediahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/mccarthyism-sweeps-gulf-s_b_853397.htmlSultan Sooud Al-Qassemihttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/
Post-Second World War America was a period of economic growth and prosperity for many citizens but it was also a dark period in which a powerful U.S. Senator by the name of Joseph McCarthy initiated a process of publicly accusing individuals of harboring communist tendencies without regard for evidence.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism" target="_hplink">McCarthyism</a>, as it became known, involved character assassinations, accusations of treason and a media campaign against thousands of Americans, many of whom lost their jobs and saw their careers end. McCarthyism ended with a series of court decisions although many of its repercussions continue to reverberate to this day.<br />
<br />
In the Gulf over the past few weeks, social media has been used as a tool to debate the Arab Spring of 2011 as well as to foster the unprecedented political activism that has emerged in what have been largely politics-deprived societies.<br />
<br />
Naturally, there were varying opinions from pundits and observers alike. The Gulf youth have, within a period of a few short weeks, been more politicized and polarized than in the past few decades combined. But some online conversations have clearly been progressing in a worrying direction, labeling those that social networkers disagree with politically as 'traitors.'<br />
<br />
A Facebook group I was added to recently reflected this trend; it included pictures of individuals, some of whom I recognized, others unknown to me, all with the word 'traitors' under it in Arabic. The administrator of the page goes as far as to ask members to attack those 'traitors' on their personal Facebook pages 'under every comment.'<br />
<br />
On Twitter, a common response I receive after posting a news item about Gulf individuals who were called in for questioning or have been dismissed from work for their political activity is the phrase 'the traitors deserve it.' Comments such as 'this person's family isn't even pure nationals' are also common.<br />
<br />
The Gulf has suffered from a sort of McCarthyism before; takfir or the labeling of the other as infidels and heretics was an easy way of discrediting others. As a result, only voices from extreme elements in society were heard. Labeling those we disagree with as traitors is for me one step below Takfirism. It is the easy way out of holding an intelligent conversation.<br />
There is no single shade that we can use to color the Gulf. Diversity of opinion is what makes thoughts and ideas in society flourish. It is not possible for us all to share the exact same opinion and, therefore, intelligent and informed debate must take precedence over the primitive act of hurling accusations. These extreme reactions may prove to be a bad omen and even a self-fulfilling prophecy.<br />
<br />
They reflect the fact that in the Gulf there is no official channel for debate that is tolerant even when the three 'untouchables' of God, Country and Leader are off the topic. This also shows that many Gulf citizens are unable to debate topics that are sensitive and polarizing without resorting to personalizing the matter. When I started writing op-dds years ago I would often receive critical e-mails and would reply asking the senders to forward their criticism to the comments page editor for them to be published. Those who take the time to read my op-dds and articulate a well-founded reply deserve to be heard just like I was. Ultimately, a culture of disagreement leading to intelligent debate in the Gulf must be nurtured and not discouraged.<br />
<br />
The accusation of treason is the most serious civil offense a person can be labeled with. It is only for the courts to decide who has committed such a heinous act. This is not a matter to be left for social networking sites and the blogosphere. We may disagree with these individuals; it is our right to do so as it is their right to disagree with us. If we believe that they are wrong it should only be through dialogue that we settle the matter. And if the accusations are indeed serious it should be left to official channels and transparent courts.<br />
<br />
The renowned Islamic jurist Imam Al Shafei said more than a thousand years ago: "My opinion is right but it could possibly be wrong. Your opinion is wrong but it could possibly be right." No one has exclusivity over what's right and what isn't, and certainly no one has a monopoly on wisdom.<br />
<br />
The petty accusations are distracting us from meeting the real common challenges that Gulf citizens need to be concentrating on today, both external and internal.<br />
<br />
It's taking America decades to reform the damage that Senator McCarthy did to the system. Gulf nationals should realize the risks of long-term damage that such accusations may cause, not only to these individuals, their careers and families, but also to the fabric of Gulf society.<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>This article was published in <a href="http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/mccarthyism-in-gulf-social-media-1.798619" target="_hplink">Gulf News</a> on Monday, April 25 2011</em>
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/uae">Uae</a>, <a href="/tag/kuwait">Kuwait</a>, <a href="/tag/social-media">Social Media</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/oman">Oman</a>, <a href="/tag/gulf">Gulf</a>, <a href="/tag/twitter">Twitter</a>, <a href="/tag/facebook">Facebook</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/qatar">Qatar</a>, <a href="/tag/united-arab-emirates">United Arab Emirates</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Michael Brenner: White House to House of Saudhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brenner/white-house-to-house-of-s_b_853261.htmlMichael Brennerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brenner/
The House of Saud is badly rattled -- fearful of internal unrest, fearful of Shi'ite subversion, multifaceted fear of Persia, fear of being let down by Washington. Out of this maelstrom of anxiety has come a dedication to breaking the momentum of reform movements across the region. It has taken up the sword to be champion of a counter-revolutionary coalition. In some places, that means being the reactionary power. Its will to resist is hardened by feelings of being betrayed by the United States, which has not given its longstanding partners, like Hosni Mubarak, full backing. Hurt feelings are aggravated by the belief that Washington's reckless invasion in Iraq has upset a satisfactory status quo and opened the door to threats of various kinds.<br />
<br />
Obama's response has been a campaign to placate the irate Saudis. It conforms to the way he deals with all strong, willful parties -- with predictable lamentable results. Appeasement was the purpose of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/06/robert-gates-saudi-arabia_n_845420.html" target="_hplink">Robert Gates' visit to Riyadh last week</a>. A feature of this approach is to say not a word about Bahrain and to moderate rhetorical as well as already equivocal actions in support of Middle Eastern democracy. An attempt to ease strains with an important ally is reasonable. Being on the defensive with tings of apologia is not reasonable. Here are five points that should be made to the House of Saud:<br />
<br />
<ol><li>We act in our best interests just as you do. While we share core interests, there is some divergence in how we view the ingredients for long term stability in the region, and in how we view opportunities created by the reform movements. That is in the nature of international life.<br />
<li>It is part of our national identity to present ourselves as the cynosure of democratic political principles and that image is one of our assets. This is no different from you seeing your country as Guardian of the Holy Sites of Islam and your self-defined interest in underwriting a transnational network of madrassas that promote Wahabism. In many of those schools, virulently anti-Western and particularly anti-American views are propagated. We have refrained from making this a contentious issue. Correspondingly, you do not have a valid grievance because we promote democracy on a discriminating basis.</li><br />
<li>The heated verbal combat with Iran is counter productive. It heightens tensions without adding anything that can advance our convergent objectives in containing Iranian influence. You have supported some egregious acts on the Shia in Bahrain. Indeed, your agents have been implicated in the desecration of Shi'ite mosques, shrines and cemeteries. The United States sees a region wide sectarian confrontation between Sunnis and Shia as jeopardizing major interests of the United States in a stable region, in countering terrorism and in holding in check extremist elements. We would like you to consider how some of your own interests may be similarly jeopardized.</li><br />
<li>You have in the past taken some constructive initiatives in attempting to mediate between Fatah and Hamas, between Hezbollah and the Sunni-Christian coalition. We undercut your efforts. That was an error. Let's now work together in a renewed strategy to further political accommodation in both places. </li><br />
<li>This is business, not personal.</li></ol><br />
<br />
Alas, we're not very good at this sort of diplomacy.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/arab-antigovernment-protests">Arab Anti-Government Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/robert-gates">Robert Gates</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/shiite">Shi'ite</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/hosni-mubarak">Hosni Mubarak</a>, <a href="/tag/fatah">Fatah</a>, <a href="/tag/hamas">Hamas</a>, <a href="/tag/sunnis">Sunnis</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Sharmine Narwani: Rats, Roaches and Shiiteshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharmine-narwani/bahrain-protests-shiites_b_851237.htmlSharmine Narwanihttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharmine-narwani/
I'm not arguing that Shiites have a lot in common with rodents and insects. But you wouldn't know it by watching Bahrainis and Saudis snuff them out with barely a peep from Western and majority-Sunni Arab nations, both.<br />
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Shia-majority Iran, Iraq and the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah have been the most vocal in condemning the outrageous killings, arrests and beatings of Shiites in the Persian Gulf -- but they have had to do so with a muffled voice. Each objection from Iran or Hezbollah unleashes a barrage of opportunistic rants by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the U.S. about "Iranian interference" and expansionism.<br />
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Which means as long as we can successfully infer a nefarious connection between these groups, one can simply yell "Iran" or "Hezbollah" and kill, torture and imprison Shiites with impunity -- in much the same way that we yelled "al Qaeda" and buried hundreds of Sunni Muslims in Guantanamo for years. No matter that we have never ever proven a connection of significance between these coreligionists.<br />
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It's the equivalent of saying all Irish Catholics have a connection to the Irish Republican Army. Or that all Jews take marching orders from Israel. <br />
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<strong>The Sectarian Bogeyman</strong><br />
To be fair, this isn't really a <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-02/opinion/dabashi.islamic.sectarianism_1_sunni-shiite-shiite-sunni-shiite-crescent?_s=PM:OPINION" target="_hplink">sectarian battle</a> -- although some would like to spin it that way. This is about autocratic regimes stifling protest, and it just so happens that the largest disenfranchised populations in these places are Shiites.<br />
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At the very heart of the matter lies the growing battle for influence in the greater Middle East. These domestic Arab uprisings -- while highly desired by their national populations -- on a geopolitical level threaten to fundamentally alter the balance of power in the region toward the "Resistance Bloc" -- state and non-state actors that reject U.S. and Israeli hegemony in the Mideast.<br />
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Shiite-majority Iran is a <a href="http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/20954/irans_interests_and_values_and_the_arab_spring.html" target="_hplink">major influencer</a> in this bloc, which is why it has been so important for Washington and Riyadh to keep the pressure on the Islamic Republic and deprive it of any opportunity to gain further footholds or popular support from non-Shia populations in the region.<br />
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When mass protests kicked off in Bahrain on February 14, the peaceful demonstrations in Pearl Square were decidedly non-sectarian. Sunni and Shia came together to demand reform across the board. Yes, the majority of protesters were Shia, but that number falls along demographic lines in a country of around 70% Shiites who have been marginalized politically, economically and socially.<br />
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When a brutal, regime-led clampdown ensued with killings and beatings, the mood changed and protesters called for the downfall of the Al Khalifa ruling family. Suddenly "Iran" was being <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/21/bahrain-iran-role-uprising-shia" target="_hplink">invoked</a> as an instigator for regime change and Saudi troops were "invited in" to quell the protests.<br />
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The past month has seen a violent clampdown of a different kind. Bahraini troops -- many imported from other Sunni countries -- and Saudi forces troll largely-impoverished <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/16/bahrain-eyewitness-riot-police?CMP=twt_gu" target="_hplink">Shia neighborhoods and villages</a>, arresting activists and violently suppressing any signs of protest -- or even normal Shia <a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE73L1B920110422?sp=true" target="_hplink">religious</a> activity.<br />
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Hundreds of activists have "disappeared" in the small Persian Gulf nation of 600,000 citizens - one in every 1,000 Bahraini, by one count -- and masked men storm into private homes regularly in the middle of the night to detain Shia human rights workers, bloggers and opposition members. US-based Physicians for Human Rights tells the <em>New York Times</em> that now even "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/23/world/middleeast/23bahrain.html?_r=3" target="_hplink">doctors</a> are disappearing as part of a systematic attack on medical staff."<br />
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<strong>@angyarabiya Rails Against the Injustice</strong><br />
I spoke to Zainab AlKhawaja, a young Danish-educated mother, just hours after she had begun her hunger strike to protest the detention of her human rights activist father Abdulhadi AlKhawaja, husband, brother-in-law and uncle by Bahraini officials. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-UDtfe8hfo" target="_hplink">Zainab</a> witnessed the beating of her relatives in the early hours of April 9 when about a dozen masked men in black uniforms arrived at her home where family members had congregated, having been alerted that special forces were coming to find her father, who they called "the target."<br />
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"We changed our clothes... and waited for them to come. My father didn't want to hide in someone else's house and put them in danger. He has been arrested and detained before. His attitude is that he hasn't done anything wrong and is not going to hide."<br />
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Zainab, who penned an <a href="http://angryarabiya.blogspot.com/2011/04/letter-to-president-obama.html" target="_hplink">emotional letter</a> to U.S. President Barack Obama as she began her hunger strike, questions the "legitimacy" of a government whose "only strength is in their guns," claiming they are now "trying as hard as they can to keep their crackdown in predominantly <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/16/bahrain-eyewitness-riot-police?CMP=twt_gu" target="_hplink">Shia villages</a> so people won't see it."<br />
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She continues: <br />
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<blockquote>The February 14 youth are still making plans. The government didn't expect this. Every time they leave the villages, people come out again with their candlelight vigils and their peaceful protests. The troops go back in with their tanks, masked men and live bullets - and that really shows who's strong and who's weak.</blockquote><br />
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<br />
This <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WgyTR1oEZg" target="_hplink"><em>CNN</em> report</a> on current events in Bahrain supports the details of Zainab's allegations, which the Khalifas dismiss and Washington ignores.<br />
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Zainab dismisses claims that Bahrain's uprising is a sectarian affair backed by Iran and has this to say about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Bob Gates' assertions about intervention by the Islamic Republic:<br />
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<blockquote>They know its not true, we know its not true, our government knows its not true. Its being used as an excuse for why our government is attacking us and why the U.S. government is supporting them. Because if it weren't for this excuse, then America would have to stand up and say that we're not supporting freedom and democracy in Bahrain because it is not in our interest to do so.</blockquote><br />
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This August 2008 <a href="http://www.wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/08/08MANAMA528.html" target="_hplink">WikiLeaks Cable</a> suggests she is right on the Iran issue, and that Washington knows it. <br />
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Washington's interests are to circle and shut down the Iranian regime, be it through sanctions, or diplomatic and military hard power. The Arab countries of the Persian Gulf are essential to this strategy now that Iraq is not a reliable anti-Iran ally any longer. Not only is the U.S. Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain, but close ally <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704116404576262744106483816.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories" target="_hplink">Saudi Arabia</a> also fears an uprising by disenfranchised Shia populations in its oil-rich Eastern Province, and has waged battle against allegedly Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, even though a <a href="http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/10276" target="_hplink">WikiLeaks Cable</a> recently revealed that Saudi officials are skeptical of their own claim. <br />
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And so an anti-Shia narrative is being spun to enable Gulf monarchies to act against protesting Arab populations in the Persian Gulf.<br />
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Zainab cautioned that the Bahraini government is now "doing a <a href="http://streetmedia.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/middle-east-crisis-puts-pr-firms-in-the-spotlight/" target="_hplink">media campaign</a>" to spin the sectarian narrative and put some "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/lobbyist-mideast-unrest-departures_n_840231.html" target="_hplink">gloss</a>" on their misdeeds. What the <em>Guardian</em> calls "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/03/london-public-relations-reputation-laundering" target="_hplink">Reputation Laundering</a>." Two days later, I experienced this firsthand.<br />
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<strong>Lunch in London with a Senior Bahraini Official</strong><br />
A few weeks ago I received a lunch invitation from an Arab diplomat in London with whom I had recently become acquainted. A few days after accepting, his office rang to ask if I would mind if a Bahraini official joined us. <br />
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Ten minutes into our lunch meeting, the Bahraini government representative -- an Al-Khalifa, I don't mind telling you, because there are so many of them -- pulled out a document entitled <em>"Indications of Iranian Interference in Bahraini Affairs."</em> The papers essentially do nothing more than quote Iranian officials, quasi-officials, religious leaders, media outlets and parliamentarians railing against Manama's treatment of Shia populations, denouncing Saudi military intervention against Bahraini civilians, and condemning the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) efforts to "spread Iranophobia in the region."<br />
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Par for the course. And not a shred of evidence about actual Iranian intervention in Bahrain.<br />
<br />
More interesting by far was the earful I received during our meal. Some highlights:<br />
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According to Mr. Khalifa, Bahraini Shia leaders, Shia clergy and all 18 Shia parliamentarians in the country's Al Wefaq party, follow instructions directly from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. I shouldn't be fooled by the fact that they are "very nice, very smart, wear ties, and are educated," he insisted, and then followed by declaring:<br />
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"I do not want to be quoted as saying I'm stirring up sectarian tension or adding fuel to the fire. I just want you to be <em>aware</em>."<br />
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When asked why the rest of Bahrain's Shia -- who make up nearly three-quarters of the country's population -- are forbidden from serving in their national army, which instead imports Sunni troops from countries like <a href="http://criticalppp.com/archives/43444" target="_hplink">Pakistan</a>, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Mr. Khalifa explained: "I'll come to that. They all follow Khamenei, so they can't serve in the army. We have a few in the army, but we are worried [about] that unless they say outright their loyalty to their country is more than to their supreme leader."<br />
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He even managed a gratuitous "Hezbollah" mention. The Bahraini official claims that Iran intervened directly in Bahrain in the 90s, but "learned from their mistake." So they said, "Next time we do it, we will do it through Hezbollah. We have confessions and court cases about this."<br />
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Acknowledging that these "interventions" were ancient history, and that most of the defendants were reintegrated into Bahraini society, Mr. Khalifa bristled when I pointed to the <a href="http://www.wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/08/08MANAMA528.html" target="_hplink">WikiLeaks cable</a> that quotes U.S. diplomats as saying: <br />
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<blockquote>Bahraini government officials sometimes privately tell U.S. official visitors that some Shi'a oppositionists are backed by Iran. Each time this claim is raised, we ask the GOB to share its evidence. To date, we have seen no convincing evidence of Iranian weapons or government money here since at least the mid-1990s.</blockquote><br />
<br />
<br />
"Who cares what the Americans say and don't say?" he demanded.<br />
<br />
The cable also addresses Mr. Khalifa's claim that Bahraini Shia follow Iranian clerics blindly:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Post's very rough estimate is that 30 percent of the Shi'a here follow clerics who look to more senior clerics in Iran for guidance. The majority look to Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq, and a few to Muhammad Fadlallah and others in Lebanon. Bahrain's most popular Shi'a cleric is Sheikh Isa Qassim, who has occasionally endorsed the Iranian regime's doctrine of velayat-e faqih, and as a result is a lightning rod for loud Sunni criticism, and quieter criticism from some more orthodox Shi'a clerics.</blockquote><br />
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<br />
Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani is not an advocate of the Islamic Republic's concept of Velayat-e-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist), itself an aberration of the long-held Shia tradition of separating religious authority from political authority. As example, Sistani has played a low-key role in Iraqi politics, only intervening when sectarian strife threatened fundamental stability in the war-torn country, and has resisted meetings with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in order to underline his political neutrality.<br />
<br />
And by the end of the meal, Mr. Khalifa even conceded that "Iran is only 'intervening' through the Marjah (senior member of clergy that is authorized to interpret religious doctrine for followers)." Acknowledging that religious Shia still tend to follow their own preferred marjah from a large pool of clerics, Mr. al Khalifa concluded, "there's nothing we can do about this. There's nothing wrong with it exactly."<br />
<br />
Zainab would not have been happy to hear that during our discussion, Mr. Khalifa identified her father as "the main Velayat-e-Faqih supporter." The 50-year-old Khawaja, he said, "may look nice and dress nice, but he is a product of the Iranian revolution." <br />
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As I post this article, I receive news that Zainab has ended her hunger strike due to health reasons. Her mother <a href="http://angryarabiya.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-from-zainabs-mother.html" target="_hplink">writes</a>: "In the past few days Zainab's health has deteriorated and she has had trouble breathing with fast heart beat. In the last two days she was having trouble standing up or sitting straight and I had to give her water using a spoon."<br />
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Better still, her father has been allowed to call the family -- no doubt in part because of the global outcry over his plight, highlighted by his daughter's hunger strike. She tweeted an hour ago: "My father just called... & my heart is bleeding for him. He could barely speak... Never in my life have I heard my father speak of his pain, he's always strong. To hear those words, to hear his voice like that kills me."<br />
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Khawaja's "trial" begins at 8:00 am on Thursday in Bahrain's military court.<br />
<br />
I feel for the Shia of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and elsewhere. One can make a real case for stomping out rats and roaches for health and sanitation reasons. But say "Iran" or "Hezbollah" -- our favorite manufactured "villains" -- and a Shiite has to live a life of fear for nothing. <br />
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<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/wikileaks">Wikileaks</a>, <a href="/tag/shia">Shia</a>, <a href="/tag/al-wefaq">Al Wefaq</a>, <a href="/tag/persian-gulf">Persian Gulf</a>, <a href="/tag/politics">Politics</a>, <a href="/tag/velayatefaqih">Velayat-E-Faqih</a>, <a href="/tag/yemen">Yemen</a>, <a href="/tag/twitter">Twitter</a>, <a href="/tag/sectarianism">Sectarianism</a>, <a href="/tag/us-foreign-policy">US Foreign Policy</a>, <a href="/tag/iraq">Iraq</a>, <a href="/tag/hezbollah">Hezbollah</a>, <a href="/tag/khalifa">Khalifa</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/world-news">World News</a>, <a href="/tag/zainab-al-khawajah">Zainab Al Khawajah</a>, <a href="/tag/iran">Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/ahmadinejad">Ahmadinejad</a>, <a href="/tag/shiites">Shiites</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/february-14">February 14</a>, <a href="/tag/gcc">Gcc</a>, <a href="/tag/sunni">Sunni</a>, <a href="/tag/maryam-al-khawajah">Maryam Al Khawajah</a>, <a href="/tag/ayatollah-sistani">Ayatollah Sistani</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Joshua Gleis: The Syrian Anomalyhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-gleis/the-syrian-anomaly_b_849762.htmlJoshua Gleishttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-gleis/
Across the Middle East today the "Arab Spring" appears to be in full bloom. Preoccupied with the disintegration of the formerly pro-American government in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/world/middleeast/04yemen.html?_r=1&emc=na" target="_hplink">Yemen</a>, the threat to its naval base in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/17/bahrain-protests-us-fifth-fleet" target="_hplink">Bahrain</a>, growing difficulties in <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/04/10/135289365/iraq-protests-urge-u-s-out-sooner" target="_hplink">Iraq</a>, disorder in <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/11/egypt-protests-sharaf-idUSWEB462820110411" target="_hplink">Egypt </a>and <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/apr/11/jordanians-worry-protests-polarizing-their-country/" target="_hplink">Jordan</a>, and <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110412/ap_on_re_eu/libya_diplomacy_17" target="_hplink">pressure from Great Britain and France </a>to step up military operations in Libya, the Obama Administration has placed <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0415/Syrian-revolution-spreads-with-largest-protests-yet" target="_hplink">Syria</a> on the backburner. It is questionable at this point whether even a major bloodbath by the Assad government would spur any significant western involvement. Only in Syria, where a growing number of citizens are rising up against the Assad regime, has the United States and the rest of the western world failed to develop or convey any type of policy whatsoever.<br />
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Considering the strategic importance of Syria to western interests in the region, this should come as somewhat of a surprise. Yet aside from a few statements from the State Department and various foreign ministries, little else is being said or done. Once again we find US policy lacking in its response to an uprising in the Middle East. There are a number of reasons why this is the case.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/events/2002/0123media_journalism.aspx" target="_hplink">"CNN effect"</a> theory is a primary reason for the lack of attention being given to the activities in Syria. In essence, the theory contends that extensive media coverage of a given conflict -- or lack thereof -- can result in radical changes in a state's foreign policy, including military interventions and withdrawals. We recently witnessed this effect in Egypt, as images of young Egyptians in Tahrir Square led citizens and governments the world over to express their support for those rebelling. We saw the CNN effect once again in Libya, where media coverage ultimately led to NATO intervention in that country. <br />
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Yet as one of the most authoritarian states in the world, Syria has managed to keep the press at bay, despite the growing conflict and rising casualties. Al Jazeera, the most influential media channel in the Arab world, is based and supported by Qatar -- an ally of the Assad regime. Consequently, <a href="http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/Apr/07/The-shameful-Arab-silence-on-Syria.ashx#axzz1Jc1gnRvQ" target="_hplink">al Jazeera's coverage</a> of Syrian activities has been scant in comparison to other revolts in the region. <br />
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The realities on the ground are another reason for the lack of attention being paid to Syria. Just as the other conflicts across the Arab world are taking up the media's airtime, so too are they competing for the attention of western governments. The <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/19/ap/europe/main20045004.shtml" target="_hplink">Iranians are making a major effort</a> to protect their interests by supporting their friends. What this means is that in Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are helping the Shiite populations rise up against their rulers. What this means in the case of Syria, is that <a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/US-Says-Iran-Helping-Syria-Quell-Protests-119883359.html" target="_hplink">Iran is working with the Allawite rulers</a> to quell any rebellions being led by the Sunni majority in the country. Wary of losing a critical friend in the Arab world, Iran is using its deep political and military ties to quietly support the Assad regime in Syria. <br />
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Yet even without these other very real concerns in the region, the lack of western involvement in Syrian affairs -- be it diplomatic or military -- is also due to the fact that the alternatives to an Assad regime are not exactly inspiring. Syrian opposition at the moment is relatively disorganized, but the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood is clearly the most powerful opposition player, and it has been growing in strength in recent years. The country's authoritarian leader, Bashar al-Assad, is propped up by his fellow Allawites, who are a minority in that Sunni-dominated land. In order to maintain control, the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110406/wl_nm/us_syria_army_1" target="_hplink">Allawites</a> control every major military and political post in the country. This religious Allawite minority that is an offshoot of Shiism knows that if Assad falls, their days of privilege are numbered. As a result, they are more unified and willing to shed blood than was the Egyptian military. <br />
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As internal strife continues to spread across Syria, the regime may seek further assistance from Iran. It may also seek greater conflict with Israel as a way to distract attention from domestic concerns. The United States is once again poised to play catch up to events in the Middle East, and Syria is hardly a place where it can afford to do so. Whatever policy it chooses, it needs to develop one soon. The need to be proactive and outspoken about the troubles in Syria can spell the difference between acting ahead of the curve, and once again being caught off-guard. While the alternative to an Assad regime is unknown, one thing is for certain: its downfall would be a major defeat for Iran, and an important victory for the west. The United States must act fast to ensure it molds its own real policy, before it ends up having to respond to others yet again. <br />
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/syria">Syria</a>, <a href="/tag/yemen">Yemen</a>, <a href="/tag/cnn-effect">CNN Effect</a>, <a href="/tag/foreign-affairs">Foreign Affairs</a>, <a href="/tag/rebels">Rebels</a>, <a href="/tag/iran">Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/qatar">Qatar</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/bashar-alassad">Bashar Al-Assad</a>, <a href="/tag/foreign-policy">Foreign Policy</a>, <a href="/tag/shiites">Shiites</a>, <a href="/tag/muslim-brotherhood">Muslim Brotherhood</a>, <a href="/tag/state-department">State Department</a>, <a href="/tag/egypt">Egypt</a>, <a href="/tag/barack-obama-foreign-policy">Barack Obama Foreign Policy</a>, <a href="/tag/us-policy-middle-east">Us Policy Middle East</a>, <a href="/tag/hosni-mubarak">Hosni Mubarak</a>, <a href="/tag/israel">Israel</a>, <a href="/tag/iraq">Iraq</a>, <a href="/tag/al-jazeera">Al Jazeera</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Bahrain: Gulf Troops To Stay As Counter To Iranhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/18/bahrain-iran-gulf-troops_n_850442.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Gulf troops will stay indefinitely in Bahrain as a counter to perceived threats from Iran, which the island kingdom's Sunni rulers have used as a reason for their harsh crackdown on the country's Shiite opposition.<br />
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Bahrain's king declared martial law last month and invited about 1,500 troops from Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states to help contain a Shiite uprising that Sunni leaders around the oil-rich region believe could open the way for greater influence by Shiite powerhouse Iran.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/bahrain">Bahrain</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-gulf-troops">Bahrain Gulf Troops</a>, <a href="/tag/iran">Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-iran">Bahrain Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-protests">Bahrain Protests</a>, <a href="/tag/bahrain-crackdown">Bahrain Crackdown</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>