UPDATE BAHRAIN:
Bahrain's Formula 404: Protests Not Found?
Published on Apr 25, 2012 by RussiaToday
In Bahrain, there are no signs of violence dying down - with police firing tear gas at protesters during yet more clashes in the capital Manama. Anti-government demonstrations have been intensifying since the weekend when the world's eyes were on the Formula One Grand Prix race there. But as the world's top drivers went home, foreign criticism of the regime seems to have gone with them.
Gasoline and oil trump Civil Rights and human rights of Bahrain's oppressed citizenry.
The West should be ashamed but just doesn't care .
Tariq Ali About West' Hypocrisy When It Comes To Bahrain
As Tariq Ali points out the USA and president Obama and the West have proven that their promises about supporting reform movements and pro-democracy movements in the Arab countries and the Middle East and Africa is a lot of Bollocks .
Even the Western media has gone out of its way to not report on the vicious and brutal crackdown on Bahrain's pro-reform movement .When the Mainstream Media does report on Bahrain they present the uprising in Bahrain according to the script the USA has developed which says that the Uprising in Bahrain is just a sectarian battle between Shia And Sunni but this is not the case.
In reality the great majority of the people of Bahrain both Shia and Sunni took part in the uprising which began over a year ago .
The other part of the narrative that the President Obama and Western Leaders and the Mainstream Media are deligitimizing the popular uprising in Bahrain by claiming without any evidence that the Uprising in Bahrain is the result of foreign elements notably Iran.
The MSM erroneously claims that those in power in Bahrain are now like the Saudis slowly moving towards reform and that they do protect the basic rights of their citizens-again Bollocks, BS .
The Saudi rulers and the rulers in Bahrain may talk about reform but on the ground in either country it is another matter. There is no freedom of speech, no freedom of the press, no freedom of assembly , not even freedom of worship-the only rights people have in these countries are whatever the Monarchy decides to bestow on the people - " noblesse Oblige "
And it is becoming more obvious that the current and past administration in the White House have the same high handed disdain for the citizens of Saudi Arabia or Bahrain or any other nation.
And given how the #OWS the Occupy Movement is treated in the USA and Canada and Britain we can only conclude that they will only tolerate certain non-threatening forms of speech and protests.
But when the protesters start to criticize the system of oppression in these nations it is not tolerated.
Even with President Obama in power he too believes in the status quo ie American Exceptionalism, American Imperialism and is also a true believer in rapacious capitalism .
Obama used naive liberals and progressives to get himself elected and since them has turned on those who once supported him as he sets his cowardly middle of the road course between the Far Right and the so-called centrist who are those who once were the liberals in the Republican Party.
So in the USA the Tea Party movement has to a great degree managed to get Obama and the Democrats to cave in over and over again in their fear of being chastised and called UnAmerican for daring to do the "Right Thing" as Eric Alterman told Bill Moyers in their recent discussion.
#OWS the Occupy Movement should realize how much they have in common with the pro-reform protesters in Bahrain.
Both are fighting a powerful arrogant sanctimonious ethically and morally challenged elite.
Both groups do not want some superficial cosmetic change such as a rich leader as opposed to a monarch or as favoring a black man as opposed to a white person. This is just a change in names and faces without any substantive change.
Obama for instance has continued many of the security and foreign policies as President Bush.
Obama has shown that he too wants perpetual war to help keep the American Empire safe and growing as the US bombs one nation after another.
In Bahrain and Saudi Arabia what people are fighting against is that 1% who rule at times with an iron fist and tell the majority of the citizens that those who rich and powerful and the well connected know what's best for the masses.
And as for sports versus politics:
While citizens are gassed and beaten the elite act as if they are civilized as they ignore the violence in the street as they watch their heroes(like gladiators/ Chariot Racers)driving around and around.
The elite truly believe that as long as they are being entertained and having fun that's all that really matters. This is the type of attitudes and thinking which lead to further oppression of those who dare to interfere with the elites pass-times.
The holding of the Grand Prix Formula 1 race in Bahrain only proved how the West and the wealthy are completely insensitive to the oppression of various peoples in their respective countries and abroad. Once again we hear the same old rationalization that the event was about sports not politics. But staging such an event in a police state such as Bahrain sends the wrong message to those in power and those pro-reform protesting citizens being tear gassed, beaten and shot or imprisoned and tortured or abducted and killed by Saudi and American backed Bahraini death squads.
Of course these days the USA ,Canada and Britain now have a poor record when dealing with citizens exercising their right to assemble and protest against government policies.
Holding Bahrain GP turns into public relations disaster for Formula One MICHAEL CASEY
The Associated Press , Apr. 25, 2012 via Globe and Mail
Those who are part of or who support the #OWS Occupy Movement should realize that their goals are similar to those who took part in the Arab Spring over the last year and that includes Bahrain.
In Libya the USA claimed to be on the side of peaceful reformers but in fact the US backed the most violent extremists in order to bring down Qaddafi. The US didn't like Qaddafi because he leaned to the left and not to the right and that he believed that the resources of Libya should be under the control of the Libyan people and not international oil consortiums. But Qaddafi also made the great sin in the eyes of Washington and the West by encouraging African countries to join together inorder to be in a better situation when dealing with Western Nations especially the USA and the American and Western imperialists.
Qaddafi forgot the cardinal rule of the USA and the West that is it is the USA and its allies who will decide on how the resources of Libya or any other country are to be meted out which usually means the USA gets what it wants at the price it is willing to pay.
In the typical US government meaningless statement on Bahrain the spokesperson blamed citizens of Bahrain as much as the government of Bahrain for resorting to violence. There is no moral equivalency here between the two groups. The protests which began over a year ago were peaceful and the reaction of the police was a brutal unnecessary crack down on protesters or anyone suggesting reform in Bahrain. After months of violence perpetrated by the police and armed forces of not just Bahrain but also those of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan some citizens began resorting to violence. But this must be seen in context . The officials in Bahrain did not just force protesters out of Pearl Roundabout but have sent the military forces and undercover thugs to terrorize towns and villages across Bahrain. These armed soldiers and pro-regime thugs stormed into these towns and villages and neighborhoods beating anyone on the streets and then attacked homes of either suspected dissidents and or because the inhabitants were Shia.
It is the government which has done all it can to control the media Narrative by making it look like sectarian violence.
The fact is that the majority of the people in Bahrain are Shia so any popular uprising is bound to include a majority of Shia.
But the protests have been attended and supported by Shia and Sunni Muslims who insist that their civil rights and human rights be protected.
Note this time the official statement from the Obama regime is not from Obama or Biden or Hillary Clinton instead it is some lower down public relations individual Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland which means that Obama does not really give a hoot about the people of Bahrain and is just concerned that the US make a statement to cover its own ass.
The US still wants the world to act as if the United States has played no role in the crackdown in Bahrain or other countries such as Saudi Arabia or Pakistan etc. Its allies can do what they want as long as they kow tow to America on issues which are a concern for the wealthy and political elites in the USA.
And the statement from the US is further weakened by her moral equivalency saying "We condemn the use of violence in all its forms -- whether against peaceful demonstrators or police and government institutions -- and urge all parties to reject such actions.."
In other words the US is not blaming the Bahraini government exclusively for the violence even though that is the case.
Protesters defending themselves and their families their neighborhoods and towns and villages are not perpetuating violence they are merely doing what they can while facing over-whelming brute force.
US urges Bahrain to show restraint
(AFP),April 25,2012
Selected reading:
* Abrahamian, Ervand: A History Of Modern Iran, Pub. 2008.
Ali, Tariq : Bush in Babylon: The Recolonisation of Iraq, pub. 2003.
* Ali, Tariq : The Duel: Pakistan On The Path Of American Power, Pub. 2008.
* Allen, Charles : God's terrorists: The Wahhabi Cult and The Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad, Pub. 2006.
* Axworthy, Michael: A History of Iran; Empire of the Mind, pub. 2008.
* Baer, Robert : The Devil We Know : Dealing with the new Iranian Superpower, pub. 2008.
* Bronson, Rachel: Thicker Tan Oil; America's Uneasy Partnership With Saudi Arabia, Pub. 2006.
* Filkins, Dexter: The Forever War , Pub. 2008.
* Hiro, Dilip: The Iranian Labyrinth: Journeys Through Theocratic Iran and Its Furies,Pub. 2005.
* Katouzian, Homa: The Persians; Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern Iran, Pub. 2009.
* Keddie, Nikki R. : Modern Iran; Roots And Results of Revolution, Pub. 2006 updated.
* Lacey, Robert : Inside The Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle For Saudi Arabia, Pub. 2009.
* Nasr, Seyyed Vali Reza : The Shia revival : how conflicts within Islam will shape the future, Pub. 2006.
* Polk, William R. : Understanding Iran, pub. 2009.
* Smith, Lee The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and The Clash of Arab Civilizations, Pub. 2010.
* Vandewalle, Dirk A History of Modern Libya, Pub. 2006.
* Weston, Mark : Prophets and Princes : Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the present pub 2008
* Wright, Robin : Rock The Casbah : Rage and Rebellion Across The Islamic World, Pub. 2011
Bahrain's Formula 404: Protests Not Found?
Published on Apr 25, 2012 by RussiaToday
In Bahrain, there are no signs of violence dying down - with police firing tear gas at protesters during yet more clashes in the capital Manama. Anti-government demonstrations have been intensifying since the weekend when the world's eyes were on the Formula One Grand Prix race there. But as the world's top drivers went home, foreign criticism of the regime seems to have gone with them.
Gasoline and oil trump Civil Rights and human rights of Bahrain's oppressed citizenry.
The West should be ashamed but just doesn't care .
Tariq Ali About West' Hypocrisy When It Comes To Bahrain
As Tariq Ali points out the USA and president Obama and the West have proven that their promises about supporting reform movements and pro-democracy movements in the Arab countries and the Middle East and Africa is a lot of Bollocks .
Even the Western media has gone out of its way to not report on the vicious and brutal crackdown on Bahrain's pro-reform movement .When the Mainstream Media does report on Bahrain they present the uprising in Bahrain according to the script the USA has developed which says that the Uprising in Bahrain is just a sectarian battle between Shia And Sunni but this is not the case.
In reality the great majority of the people of Bahrain both Shia and Sunni took part in the uprising which began over a year ago .
The other part of the narrative that the President Obama and Western Leaders and the Mainstream Media are deligitimizing the popular uprising in Bahrain by claiming without any evidence that the Uprising in Bahrain is the result of foreign elements notably Iran.
The MSM erroneously claims that those in power in Bahrain are now like the Saudis slowly moving towards reform and that they do protect the basic rights of their citizens-again Bollocks, BS .
The Saudi rulers and the rulers in Bahrain may talk about reform but on the ground in either country it is another matter. There is no freedom of speech, no freedom of the press, no freedom of assembly , not even freedom of worship-the only rights people have in these countries are whatever the Monarchy decides to bestow on the people - " noblesse Oblige "
And it is becoming more obvious that the current and past administration in the White House have the same high handed disdain for the citizens of Saudi Arabia or Bahrain or any other nation.
And given how the #OWS the Occupy Movement is treated in the USA and Canada and Britain we can only conclude that they will only tolerate certain non-threatening forms of speech and protests.
But when the protesters start to criticize the system of oppression in these nations it is not tolerated.
Even with President Obama in power he too believes in the status quo ie American Exceptionalism, American Imperialism and is also a true believer in rapacious capitalism .
Obama used naive liberals and progressives to get himself elected and since them has turned on those who once supported him as he sets his cowardly middle of the road course between the Far Right and the so-called centrist who are those who once were the liberals in the Republican Party.
So in the USA the Tea Party movement has to a great degree managed to get Obama and the Democrats to cave in over and over again in their fear of being chastised and called UnAmerican for daring to do the "Right Thing" as Eric Alterman told Bill Moyers in their recent discussion.
#OWS the Occupy Movement should realize how much they have in common with the pro-reform protesters in Bahrain.
Both are fighting a powerful arrogant sanctimonious ethically and morally challenged elite.
Both groups do not want some superficial cosmetic change such as a rich leader as opposed to a monarch or as favoring a black man as opposed to a white person. This is just a change in names and faces without any substantive change.
Obama for instance has continued many of the security and foreign policies as President Bush.
Obama has shown that he too wants perpetual war to help keep the American Empire safe and growing as the US bombs one nation after another.
In Bahrain and Saudi Arabia what people are fighting against is that 1% who rule at times with an iron fist and tell the majority of the citizens that those who rich and powerful and the well connected know what's best for the masses.
And as for sports versus politics:
While citizens are gassed and beaten the elite act as if they are civilized as they ignore the violence in the street as they watch their heroes(like gladiators/ Chariot Racers)driving around and around.
The elite truly believe that as long as they are being entertained and having fun that's all that really matters. This is the type of attitudes and thinking which lead to further oppression of those who dare to interfere with the elites pass-times.
The holding of the Grand Prix Formula 1 race in Bahrain only proved how the West and the wealthy are completely insensitive to the oppression of various peoples in their respective countries and abroad. Once again we hear the same old rationalization that the event was about sports not politics. But staging such an event in a police state such as Bahrain sends the wrong message to those in power and those pro-reform protesting citizens being tear gassed, beaten and shot or imprisoned and tortured or abducted and killed by Saudi and American backed Bahraini death squads.
Of course these days the USA ,Canada and Britain now have a poor record when dealing with citizens exercising their right to assemble and protest against government policies.
Holding Bahrain GP turns into public relations disaster for Formula One MICHAEL CASEY
The Associated Press , Apr. 25, 2012 via Globe and Mail
Formula One got into the troubled nation of Bahrain and back out last weekend having run a successful grand prix.
The cost was more criticism of the racing series.
Sectarian violence on the streets of Manama, causing death and injury during the race weekend, created a disturbing background for the race, which itself was incident-free and won by two-time world champion Sebastian Vettel — the Red Bull driver's first victory of the season.
Those who are part of or who support the #OWS Occupy Movement should realize that their goals are similar to those who took part in the Arab Spring over the last year and that includes Bahrain.
In Libya the USA claimed to be on the side of peaceful reformers but in fact the US backed the most violent extremists in order to bring down Qaddafi. The US didn't like Qaddafi because he leaned to the left and not to the right and that he believed that the resources of Libya should be under the control of the Libyan people and not international oil consortiums. But Qaddafi also made the great sin in the eyes of Washington and the West by encouraging African countries to join together inorder to be in a better situation when dealing with Western Nations especially the USA and the American and Western imperialists.
Qaddafi forgot the cardinal rule of the USA and the West that is it is the USA and its allies who will decide on how the resources of Libya or any other country are to be meted out which usually means the USA gets what it wants at the price it is willing to pay.
In the typical US government meaningless statement on Bahrain the spokesperson blamed citizens of Bahrain as much as the government of Bahrain for resorting to violence. There is no moral equivalency here between the two groups. The protests which began over a year ago were peaceful and the reaction of the police was a brutal unnecessary crack down on protesters or anyone suggesting reform in Bahrain. After months of violence perpetrated by the police and armed forces of not just Bahrain but also those of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan some citizens began resorting to violence. But this must be seen in context . The officials in Bahrain did not just force protesters out of Pearl Roundabout but have sent the military forces and undercover thugs to terrorize towns and villages across Bahrain. These armed soldiers and pro-regime thugs stormed into these towns and villages and neighborhoods beating anyone on the streets and then attacked homes of either suspected dissidents and or because the inhabitants were Shia.
It is the government which has done all it can to control the media Narrative by making it look like sectarian violence.
The fact is that the majority of the people in Bahrain are Shia so any popular uprising is bound to include a majority of Shia.
But the protests have been attended and supported by Shia and Sunni Muslims who insist that their civil rights and human rights be protected.
Note this time the official statement from the Obama regime is not from Obama or Biden or Hillary Clinton instead it is some lower down public relations individual Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland which means that Obama does not really give a hoot about the people of Bahrain and is just concerned that the US make a statement to cover its own ass.
The US still wants the world to act as if the United States has played no role in the crackdown in Bahrain or other countries such as Saudi Arabia or Pakistan etc. Its allies can do what they want as long as they kow tow to America on issues which are a concern for the wealthy and political elites in the USA.
And the statement from the US is further weakened by her moral equivalency saying "We condemn the use of violence in all its forms -- whether against peaceful demonstrators or police and government institutions -- and urge all parties to reject such actions.."
In other words the US is not blaming the Bahraini government exclusively for the violence even though that is the case.
Protesters defending themselves and their families their neighborhoods and towns and villages are not perpetuating violence they are merely doing what they can while facing over-whelming brute force.
US urges Bahrain to show restraint
(AFP),April 25,2012
WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday urged Bahrain to exercise restraint and allow peaceful protests, condemning a new outbreak of unrest in the US-allied Sunni Muslim-led
"We are deeply concerned about the increase in violence in Bahrain," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, voicing hope that authorities would stay true to pledges to hold those responsible to account.
We condemn the use of violence in all its forms -- whether against peaceful demonstrators or police and government institutions -- and urge all parties to reject such actions," Nuland said in a statement."We call on the government of Bahrain to permit peaceful protest and to exercise maximum restraint in maintaining order, just as we call on all those demonstrating to do so peacefully," she said.
The Gulf state's Shiite majority claims marginalization and disenfranchisement by the Sunni regime. New clashes erupted after a Shiite, 36-year-old Salah Abbas Habib, was found dead over the weekend.
Authorities have since sealed off the village of Diraz after what official media said was a "terrorist explosion" that wounded four Bahraini policemen.The new unrest came after the country controversially staged the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, a year after the event was canceled amid the crackdown on protests that an independent probe said left more than 35 people dead.
Selected reading:
* Abrahamian, Ervand: A History Of Modern Iran, Pub. 2008.
Ali, Tariq : Bush in Babylon: The Recolonisation of Iraq, pub. 2003.
* Ali, Tariq : The Duel: Pakistan On The Path Of American Power, Pub. 2008.
* Allen, Charles : God's terrorists: The Wahhabi Cult and The Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad, Pub. 2006.
* Axworthy, Michael: A History of Iran; Empire of the Mind, pub. 2008.
* Baer, Robert : The Devil We Know : Dealing with the new Iranian Superpower, pub. 2008.
* Bronson, Rachel: Thicker Tan Oil; America's Uneasy Partnership With Saudi Arabia, Pub. 2006.
* Filkins, Dexter: The Forever War , Pub. 2008.
* Hiro, Dilip: The Iranian Labyrinth: Journeys Through Theocratic Iran and Its Furies,Pub. 2005.
* Katouzian, Homa: The Persians; Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern Iran, Pub. 2009.
* Keddie, Nikki R. : Modern Iran; Roots And Results of Revolution, Pub. 2006 updated.
* Lacey, Robert : Inside The Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle For Saudi Arabia, Pub. 2009.
* Nasr, Seyyed Vali Reza : The Shia revival : how conflicts within Islam will shape the future, Pub. 2006.
* Polk, William R. : Understanding Iran, pub. 2009.
* Smith, Lee The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and The Clash of Arab Civilizations, Pub. 2010.
* Vandewalle, Dirk A History of Modern Libya, Pub. 2006.
* Weston, Mark : Prophets and Princes : Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the present pub 2008
* Wright, Robin : Rock The Casbah : Rage and Rebellion Across The Islamic World, Pub. 2011
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