Bahrain Today

One of the countries caught up in the Arab Spring is the kingdom of Bahrain. The Bahraini uprising began in Feb. 14, 2011 and has since been crushed by the Monarchy of King Hamad and the Gulf Cooperation Council.



To the right is an image of Pearl Roundabout, the Tiananmen Square of Bahrain and the location of many public protests. What began as protest for reform has since been described by the Bahraini Opposition as a call for: the abdication of King Hamad, a Constitutional Monarchy, deportation of foreign armed groups including mercenaries and Western and Gulf State armies, a new Constitution, an end to economic and human rights violations, elections and equality for Shias (the Country's majority sectarian group; the Country is governed by the Sunni minority).

Bellow is an Al Jazeera English Documentary: Bahrain Shouting in the Dark which I believe to be a fair and accurate depiction of the conflict that exists in Bahrain today.

Needless to say, the opposition has not been very successfull in achieving their goals. The Dictatorship of King Hamad continues to this day, he is perportedly one of the longest serving heads of state currently in power. A large contingent of Saudi and Pakinstani troops occupy Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Coorperation Council and at explict request of the Bahrain Government.

The protests were crushed, Pearl Roundabout raised to the ground and now the country is in a state of military occupation with widespread reports of torture, human rights abuses, and government censorship.




Also Bahrain has been home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, the Bahrain Government has been a strategic ally in the American lead War on Terror and continues to be. Bahrain is said to represent the first counter revolution against the democratic uprisings of the Arab Spring.

If you enjoyed reading this post you may also like a blog post by Brad Richardson on the year anniversary of the Bahrain uprising. The blog post title is: Bahrain Protesters Rally Ahead of Anniversary.