Bahrain, Humbug!

When we think about the so-called “Arab Spring,” which countries come to mind? Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen are the first: the ones that have, since the uprisings began almost two years ago, deposed their long-standing dictatorships and begun the process of establishing democratic institutions (I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, General National Congress of Libya). Syria is another standout; though the people have so far been unsuccessful in ousting President Bashar al-Assad and the continued clashes between various opposition groups and the regime forces are devastating major cities, the rebels are receiving international aid and there is hope for an eventual democratic solution in the country. Finally, there have been protests of various magnitudes in other countries across North Africa and the Levant, but that’s about it – right?

Wrong.

We’ve forgotten Bahrain: a small archipelago comfortably situated right across the King Fahd Causeway from Saudi Arabia, and separated by Iran only by the Persian Gulf. Though the Shiite majority began protesting against the Sunni monarchy in early 2011, within a month they had been suppressed by a combination of Bahraini and Saudi forces. For the past year and a half, demonstrations (led by various opposition parties) have been organized, only to suffer swift government crackdowns. And just last week, the regime decided to ban all public protests once and for all, claiming the demonstrators had been getting too violent. For a tiny country, Bahrain has been the site of some pretty enormous human rights violations; in addition to the protest ban, human rights organizations have reported several instances of torture perpetrated by the regime. So what gives? Why is all this still going on nearly two years after it began?

Not only was the situation in Bahrain a huge problem to begin with over a year ago, but the rate at which disturbing developments are still occurring there is frankly astounding. This past Monday, several bombs killed two people in the capital city of Manama. The regime arrested four suspects and is reportedly blaming the attack on the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Of course, Hezbollah has vehemently denied the accusations, and is now claiming that the regime itself carried out the attacks against its own citizens. The information released in the wake of the bombing provides no clear indications of which faction is responsible; but any way you look at it, this attack has ominous implications for Bahrain.

If Hezbollah planted the bombs, it is a sign that this previously internal conflict is being manipulated by the foreign power that already exercises so much control in the region: Iran. A major political player in Syria and Lebanon (without even going into its economic dealings throughout the region), Iran has, for months now, fielded accusations from Bahraini officials of fostering unrest in their country. If Hezbollah, which is funded largely by Iran and has long acted as its proxy in the Middle East indeed carried out the attacks, then this bombing indicates that the conflict in Bahrain is becoming more external than internal, and therefore needs to be given attention on an international scale.

But to be honest, the attack is just as (if not more) worrying if it ends up being attributed to the Bahraini regime. The monarchy’s record of misdeeds includes the following: suppressing their people, calling in their big brother Saudi Arabia to aid in the crackdown, torturing members of the opposition, and most recently, banning any form of public protest. Add to that list a bomb attack intended to hurt and frighten civilians, and the situation in Bahrain looks more dystopic than ever. This is a regime that deserves to be deposed, and the opposition does not seem to possess the real capabilities to do so. So what is being done by other actors to improve the situation in Bahrain?

The answer, as you may guess, is “not much.” The UN condemned the recent bombing and Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon even went so far as to advise peaceful dialogue in lieu of violence between the opposition and the regime forces. It is too bad that peaceful dialogue is even harder to reach now that the government has banned all protests (legislation of which Ban Ki-Moon also disapproves strongly). Shaking a finger at Bahrain isn’t enough; if the UN does not recognize the seriousness of the situation and manifest this in stronger sanctions against the government, things will continue as they have in Bahrain, and may get even worse.

The United States, which has shown more-or-less consistent support for the Arab uprisings (moving hesitantly on Egypt, but committing military forces to the opposition in Libya), is no better than the UN when it comes to Bahrain. Due to its strong, oil-driven relationship with Saudi Arabia, which supports the monarchy in Bahrain diplomatically and militarily, the Obama administration has essentially ignored the Bahraini uprisings from the beginning. It seems overly optimistic to advocate that Obama put the principles of democracy and freedom over national economic interests; but seriously, no American looking at the above list of injustices perpetrated by the regime should ask anything less of his or her newly re-elected President. The bombing in Bahrain does not bode well for the people; whether it means the further entanglement of Iran in the country’s internal issues or the perpetuation of the regime’s atrocities, Bahrain is not over. It is one of the Arab uprisings, and what is more, it is not yet one of the successful Arab uprisings – and it should be given the consideration it deserves.