Bahrain protests: A point of no return for ruling family – and Obama.
- The Bahraini security forces’ assault on peaceful demonstrators and the unprecedented protests in Pearl Square laid bare any doubts that Bahrain's ruling Al Khalifa family now faces the gravest test of its legitimacy in more than a decade and quite possibly in its reign.
- Stop distrust sown between Sunnis and Shiites
- First and foremost, the US could forcefully and publicly refute the Bahraini government’s timeworn argument that pro-democracy protests are a bid for supremacy by the Shiite majority, orchestrated by Iran. The regime has long played up fears of a Shiite “winner take all” strategy as one backed by Iran to sow distrust between Shiite activists and their liberal Sunni allies.
- This tactic has obscured the underlying problem in Bahrain. It is not sectarianism or Iranian influence, but rather the rule of the few over the wishes of the many. True, the Sunni-Shiite split is a major societal division on the island. But many in Bahrain argue that this would not be so if the country had a more just and representative form of government and equitable distribution of resources.
- A new approach might pursue three objectives. 1) Condemn the crackdown and the regime’s mischaracterization of the opposition (which President Obama has done). 2) Urge that King Hamad launch an investigation into the conduct of the security forces and end the recruitment of non-Bahrainis. 3) And most important, take immediate steps to re-empower the Bahraini parliament and alleviate the material grievances that have galvanized the opposition.
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