US Role in Mideast Crises: Anti-Regime Protests in Bahrain

Dr. Abdul Ruff 

[Maybe it is just crude hunch only to protect the Islamic world from possible satanic anti-Islamic manipulations in the world,  but this seems to be a clear conspiracy against Muslim nations over the politics over the notorious UNSC where India, Germany Brazil  and Japan seek a veto status to pursue all illegal goals by immoral means against the genuine interests of other nations, especially Muslim nations. These extremely ambitious countries want snatch away the legitimate place of some of the most influential Muslim states like Iran, Turkey, Libya, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. They had lost their place when the USA-UK, Soviet Union deliberately kept them away from the then newly created UNSC with veto power. The Mideast uprisings and struggle by these gang of 4 behind the scene to gain access to the veto regime seems to be another conspiracy is perhaps from the western GST nations or NATO to deny Islam world of 57 nations the veto power. Whether the Mideast unrests is a meticulously engineered act by the West to deny the Muslim nations  the veto power, why not USA or UK come out of the  veto regime and let at least one of the important Muslim nations to replace it?]

ONE

Whereas terror Kashmir occupier India as a policy promotes anti-Islamism in the region and world by using all possible networks, including its foreign missions, so-called Islamic Pakistan itself is an anti-Islamic nation and its core media controlled exclusively by the anti-Islamic corporate world and its western lords. Pakistani misbehavior can be attributed to its extra dependence on the US-UK terror twins, but what about the entire Mideast?

US president Obama’s “change” theme has not yet come into effect in USA, Europe and Israel to which his speeches were addressed to. But Mideast, heavily influenced by western culture and philosophy, seems to have imbibed his rhetoric as a serious sermon.  The Tunisian Jasmine revolution is spreading to the Mideast like wildfire already removing two despotic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, but without in fact affecting the most corrupt core nations in African continent. However, there is an upheaval after the fall of the regimes in both nations as no credible replacement has been made in either of the Muslim nations.

The unrest in a small island nation Bahrain comes amid a wave of protests that has swept through several Arab nations, with the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt forced to resign. Bahrainis tried to create their own version of Egypt's Tahrir Square since 15 Feb. The protesters in Bahrain are calling for wide-ranging political reforms in this tiny kingdom. Hundreds of riot police using tear gas and batons moved in before dawn, with tanks now reported on some streets. Security forces in Bahrain have dispersed thousands of anti-government protesters in Pearl Square in the centre of capital, Manama. Clashes earlier in the week left three people dead in the police operation, according to the opposition, with 100 injured. The secular Waad party said that the police had acted without any warning. But Bahrain's authorities said they had no choice but to storm the square. They claimed that as some "refused to submit to the law" they had to intervene to disperse them.

Bahrain's opposition leaders gathered to examine offers for talks by Bahrain's rulers after nearly a week of protests and deadly clashes that have sharply divided the strategic Gulf nation. The streets in the tiny island kingdom were calmer as efforts shifted toward possible political haggling over demands for the monarchy to give up its near-absolute control over key policies and positions.

The island nation was effectively shut down since workers in the capital could not pass checkpoints or were too scared to venture out. Banks and other key institutions did not open.  However, after the talks between the rulers and demonstrators, the army withdrew from the Pearl Square and the demonstrators have reoccupied it. Armed patrols prowled neighborhoods and tanks appeared in the streets for the first time. Barbed wire was set up on streets leading to the square, where police cleaned up flattened protest tents and trampled banners.

The Bahraini demonstrators many waving the Bahraini flag said they wanted: political prisoners who have been rounded up since August 2010 and an end to civil rights abuses to be released; more jobs and housing; the creation of a more representative and empowered parliament; a new constitution written by the people; a new cabinet that does not include Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, who has been in office for 40 years. That is to say the protesters’ demands have two main objectives: force the ruling Sunni monarchy to give up its control over top government posts and all critical decisions, and address deep grievances held by the country's majority Shiites who claim they face systematic discrimination and are effectively blocked from key roles in public service and the military.

Hundreds of protesters spent the night back in the square after the withdrawal Saturday of security forces a day after firing on marchers trying to reach the site, which was the symbolic center of the protest movement inspired by Egyptian demonstrators who refused to leave Cairo's Tahrir Square until Hosni Mubarak resigned as president. The secular Waad party said that the police had acted without any warning. But Bahrain's authorities said they had no choice but to storm the square. They claimed that as some "refused to submit to the law" they had to intervene to disperse them. The security forces evacuated Pearl Square after having exhausted all chance of dialogue.

After a deadly assault on pro-reform protesters thousands of mourners called for the downfall of Bahrain's ruling monarchy and anger shifted toward the nation's highest authorities that have brought army tanks into the streets of one of the most strategic Western allies in the Gulf.  The cries against the king and his inner circle reflect an important escalation of the political uprising, which began with calls to weaken the Sunni monarchy's power and address claims of discrimination against the Shiite majority. Bitterness and tensions still run deep after seesaw battles that included riot police opening fire on protesters trying to reclaim a landmark square and then pulling back to allow them to occupy the site.

From a demand for reforms the demonstrators have moved on to demand more. The protest demands include abolishing the monarchy's privileges to set policies and appoint all key political posts and address long-standing claims of discrimination and abuses against Shiites, who represents about 70 percent of Bahrain's 525,000 citizens. The protesters have called for the monarchy to give up its control over top government posts and all critical decisions and address deep grievances by Shiites, who claim they face systematic discrimination and poverty and are effectively blocked from key roles in public service and the military.

The pro-government gathering had many nonnative Bahrainis, including South Asians and Sunni Arabs from around the region. Shiite have long complained of policies to give Sunnis citizenship and jobs, including posts in security forces, to offset the Shiite majority. At a Shiite mosque in the village of Diraz, an anti-government hotbed, Imam Isa Qassim called the Pearl Square assault a "massacre" and thousands of worshippers chanted: "The regime must go." In a sign of Bahrain's deep divisions, government loyalists filled Manama's Grand Mosque to hear words of support for the monarchy and take part in a post-sermon march protected by security forces. Many arrived with Bahraini flags draped over the traditional white robes worn by Gulf men. Portraits of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa were distributed.

TWO

The panicked response of the authorities makes it clear that the ruling family saw this as a threat to its grip on power. Although protesters have been routinely beaten and tear-gassed by security forces in the past, these deaths are the first of their kind in several years, and are likely to add fuel to a growing anger among ordinary Bahrainis. The disturbances in Bahrain - where the Shia Muslim majority has been ruled by a Sunni Muslim royal family since the 18th Century - are part of a wave of anti-government unrest that has swept the Middle East.

As protests continue in the tiny gulf state of Bahrain a key US ally and home to the US Fifth Fleet, the Americans and Saudi Arabia are monitoring events there very closely. Ahead of the storming of the square the US had expressed concern at the violence and called for restraint and respect for the "universal rights of its citizens" and "their right to protest". American president Obama may have another headache on his Middle East plate. Elsewhere, the EU and Human Rights Watch urged Bahraini authorities to order security forces to stop attacks on peaceful protesters.

Bahrain holds particular importance to Washington as the host of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is the main US military counterweight to Iran's efforts to expand its armed forces and reach into the Gulf. Bahrain's ruling Sunni dynasty has strong backing from other Gulf Arab leaders, who fear that Shiite powerhouse Iran could gain further footholds through the uprising led by Bahrain's Shiite majority. The Fifth Fleet is seen as a bulwark against the rising threat of Iran. And Saudi Arabia is even more nervous - a causeway links the kingdom to Bahrain. An expert with close ties to the powerful Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef said the Saudi government will intervene if the situation "gets out of hand". As in Egypt, US policy has been to ignore the often legitimate grievances of Bahrainis in favor of stability and support for a repressive regime.

Since independence from the UK in 1971, tensions between the Sunni elite and the less affluent Shia have frequently caused civil unrest. Shia groups say they are marginalized, subject to unfair laws, and repressed. The conflict lessened in 1999 when Sheikh Hamad became emir. He freed political prisoners, allowed exiles to return and abolished a law permitting the government to detain individuals without trial for three years. He also began a cautious process of democratic reform. In 2001, voters approved a National Action Charter that would transform Bahrain into a constitutional monarchy. The next year, Sheikh Hamad proclaimed himself king and decreed that a National Assembly be formed. There was also greater protection of democracy and human rights. Although political parties were banned, "political societies" could operate. Landmark elections were held in 2002, but the opposition boycotted them because the appointed upper chamber of parliament, the Shura Council, was given equal powers to the elected lower chamber, the Council of Representatives.

Bahrain's rulers appear desperate to open a political dialogue after sharp criticism from Western allies. The US said it was "watching events from Bahrain and around the region very closely". Bahrain is yet another nightmarish twist to President B. Obama's growing Middle East dilemma at a time when instability is rapidly outpacing American imperialist strategy in the region. Obama discussed the situation with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, asking him to hold those responsible for the violence accountable. He said in a statement that Bahrain must respect the "universal rights" of its people and embrace "meaningful reform." In the United Arab Emirates, an important Gulf ally for Bahrain, Foreign Minister Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan urged Bahraini's opposition groups to accept offer for talks as a way to restore "security and stability."

In the midst of the protests, WikiLeaks has released new State Department cables detailing basic Bahraini foreign policy and concerns about regional powerhouse Iran. One intriguing cable also consists of questions sent by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton asking the embassy to evaluate the leadership potential of the country's top princes. The cable includes questions about relationships between the princes, their influence on government, views of the USA and whether any of them have histories of drug or alcohol use. There is no record of any answers.

THREE

The US-Euro terrocracies and their Eastern terror allies like India and Israel still harp on Sunni-Shiite divide to purse their own hidden agendas. The Sunnis also are participating in the unrest. Shiites have clashed with police before in protests over their complaints, including serious confrontations in the 1990s. But the growing numbers of Sunnis joining the latest demonstrations have come as a surprise to authorities.

Any prolonged crisis opens the door for a potential flashpoint between Iran and its Arab rivals in the Gulf. Bahrain's ruling Sunni dynasty is closely allied to Saudi Arabia and the other Arab regimes in the Gulf. But Shiite hard-liners in Iran have often expressed kinship and support for Bahrain's Shiite majority, which accounts for 70 percent of the island's 500,000 citizens. Sporadic clashes between police and protesters continued in the morning, with demonstrators hurling rocks, and then retreating. A group of young men broke up the pavement for more stones to throw. In a TV appearance, Bahrain's king, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, expressed regret about the deaths of protesters and said he would continue reforms begun in 2002 when the emirate became a constitutional monarchy.

It appears aggravation or eclipse of unrest in Mideast depends on the USA. Mideast remains the key source of energy resources for the USA and Europe and the strategist suggest Washington must have a stake in Mideast problems. Tiny Bahrain Island also is a pillar of Washington's military framework in the region. Meanwhile, the west is worried about another thing; the unrest could force the cancellation of Formula One race - Bahrain's premier international event.

The goals of the USA and its terrorist allies under NAT terror syndicate is  to solidify Western power and establish a world order based on US unipolarity and American hegemony. Mideast leaders must come to their own senses and try to lift their nations according to Islam, according to Shariia, implement Islamic culture instead of western liquor oriented one, and establish Islamic law without giving any opportunity for the western enemies to conquer them on some cooked up pretexts.

Over reaction from the monarchy’s side to control the demonstrations has now led to the strikers demanding removal of monarchy itself. What exactly is not yet clear is whether the rulers would submit to the demands and quit. And if Sheikhs quit, will they also loot the nation like the Tunisian and Egyptian despots have done?