Wednesday, February 15, 2012

U.S POLICY TOWARDS BAHRAIN PROTESTERS HYPOCRITICAL AND SELF-SERVING

I have written in the past about the hypocritical treatment of the uprising in Bahrain by the U.S. Government.  Because the protesters are overwhelmingly Shia, and because Iran, close by across the Persian Gulf, is predominantly Shia, the U.S. can't bring itself to condemn the harsh and brutal tactics of King Khalifa and his Sunni government in an attempt to to crush the protest.  And all along, the protesters have been non-violent in the face of tanks, bird shot, rubber bullets and tear gas.

Why won't Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton come out and unequivocally condemn Khalifa?  Because Bahrain has a military tie-in with the U.S. military.  It allows the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet to have a base there.  The U.S. is so caught up with perceived threats from Iran that it will put principles on the back burner in its quest to protect its military presence located some 100 miles from Iran.

The U.S. prides itself as a government that supports democracy all over the world.  It has supported the Libyan rebels, the Egyptian revolutionaries and the fighters in Syria.  Yet the U.S. fails to stand up for those marching for democracy and representation in Bahrain.

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