Political instability continues to rock the Kingdom of Bahrain, home of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet - a force crucial to the Pentagon's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and tactical deterrent to the threat of a nuclear Iran.
Since the British left the tiny island-state in the 1970s, Bahrain has been ruled by the Khalifa royal family, a Sunni Muslim dynasty dating back to the pre-Islamic Arab tribe of the Annizah.
Today, despite a population that is nearly two-thirds Shiite Muslim, members of the Sunni royal family continues to manage nearly all of the country's government and social programs. But while sectarianism continues to be a key factor in the crisis, the stakes for America are not at all a conflict of Islam.
Motivating US interests in Bahrain currently, are fears that Iranian meddling in the political turmoil could undo key military, banking, and energy interests in the broader Gulf region. As Mideast scholar Michael Rubin recently noted, Bahrain is both "a flash point between the United States and Iran" and "a flash point between Saudi Arabia and Iran."
On the ground, protesters in Bahrain are calling for modern reforms and though moderates hope to implement some form of constitutional monarchy, others seek to shutdown the Khalifa's long-standing autocracy.
In a move of defiance Tuesday, Bahrain's embattled leader, King Hamad, imposed a state of emergency in the country while importing thousands of armed forces from neighbouring-state members of the Gulf Cooperation Council - all in a determined effort to quell the rebellion.
Since last week, the Bahraini capital of Manama has seen increasingly violent clashes between Shiite protesters and the regime's exclusively Sunni armed forces. On Tuesday, thousands marched to the Saudi embassy in hopes of pressuring the staunch regional power to withdraw it's forces. This came as protesters continue to occupy Pearl Square in the heart of Manama's financial district.
Because American interests in the Persian Gulf and beyond hinge on stability in Bahrain, US support for democracy on the island-state has been lukewarm. While allied military forces are hoping to protect the country's key infrastructure and preserve the Khalifa's rule, the pretense of Saudi troops risks further confrontation with protesters and a push back from Iranian officials in Tehran.
Clearly, this is another case where the Obama administration is not yet capable of making bold new strategies for America's foreign policies in the region. In Bahrain, the stakes couldn't be higher, yet White House officials have been caught flatfooted, banking on old powers holding the old order while a major military ally in the War on Terror crumbles.
Trevor Westra is a Canadian analyst and blogger whose writings on international affairs are featured at FamilySecurityMatters.org, syndicated security news-blog WorldThreats.com, and online magazine Global Politician. He writes frequently on role of religion in global conflict at his website, and is a contributing analyst with </i>Wikistrat. A graduate of Canada’s Laurentian University, he specializes in the religious historiography of the Middle East and South Asia.
