US arms Sales to Bahrain Undercut Criticism of Russia, Iran on Syria. You wouldn’t think Bahrain and Syria were much linked.
Both are Arabic-speaking countries, though about half of Bahrain’s residents are non-citizen guest workers who speak anything but Arabic. One is a geographically fairly large country of some 23 million abutting the eastern Mediterranean. The other is a set of tiny islands in the Mideast’s Gulf. But Bahrain and Syria are tied in destiny, since they are numbers 5 and 6 of the series of Arab Spring countries that staged major rallies against their government.
(The successful such movements were Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen). Time to Disband the Bahrain-Based U.S. Fifth Fleet - Toby C. Jones - International. The massive American naval base provides legitimacy for the autocratic Bahraini regime, reinforces our problematic reliance on the Gulf, and may be strategically unnecessary U.S.
Navy After months of popular protests against the regime, Bahraini officials are desperate to convince anyone who will listen, and most importantly to their long time allies in Washington, that the Persian Gulf island nation is returning to normal. On Tuesday, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa visited the White House, where he offered assurances that the regime is serious about political reform and engaging in a "national dialogue" with the country's beleaguered opposition.
US pushes Bahrain arms deal despite abuses - Features. The US government insists that none of the weapons in the deal can be used against protesters [EPA] The Obama administration is pushing to close an arms deal with Bahrain, despite the government's nearly year-long crackdown against protesters and recent steps to block American NGOs from operating in the island kingdom.
A previous arms sale was suspended late last year after fierce opposition from human rights groups and members of Congress. But the White House is now taking advantage of a legal loophole to push forward a separate deal without congressional approval. The deal is also advancing despite the Bahraini government’s recent crackdown on several US-based NGOs, including the National Democratic Institute and Physicians for Human Rights.