U.S. condemns crackdown on Arab world protests, but stops short of calling for regime change

[Poll_Blind]

Source: Ha'aretz

Top U.S. diplomats on Sunday condemned violent crackdowns on protesters in Libya and Bahrain but stopped short of calling for a change of government in countries facing a wave of pro-democracy demonstrations.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Bahraini government should step up reform efforts rather than attacking peaceful protesters.

--snip--

"What we're encouraging Bahrain and other governments in the region to do is to recognize that this is a yearning for change and reform that is not going to go away, that it needs to be respected and that they need to get ahead of it by leading rather than being pushed."

--snip--

In the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet's naval base has helped America project military power across the Middle East and South Asia since 1958, thousands of anti-government protesters camped over Saturday night in a Manama square.

Read more: www.haaretz.com/news/international/u-s-condemns-crackdown-on-arab-world-protests-but-stops-short-of-calling-for-regime-change-1.344636

---

More information about the U.S. Fifth Fleet's naval base and its importance for U.S. military presence in the region:

The tiny island nation of Bahrain plays a big role in America's Middle East strategy. In fact, more than 6,000 U.S. military personnel and contractors are located just five miles from where government security forces violently put down demonstrations this week.

Bahrain is also home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, a major logistics hub for the U.S. Navy ships. The island is located halfway down the Persian Gulf, just off the coast of Saudi Arabia, and is something of a rest stop for U.S. Navy ships cruising the waters of the Persian Gulf.

With about 30 ships (including two aircraft carriers) the Fifth Fleet patrols the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the east coast of Africa.

Bahrain provided facilities for American warships. It has been resupplying warships for nearly a half-century, ever since Great Britain's fleet left the island.

Bahrain provided major basing facilities and support for the armada of U.S. Navy ships sent for the first Persian Gulf War in 1990 and the Iraq War in 2003.

"Bahrain is an outstanding partner," retired Rear Adm. Steve Pietropaoli says. "It has been the enduring logistical support for the United States Navy operating in the Persian Gulf for 50 years."

Here's to the United States outstanding partners!

:toast:

:sarcasm:

PB

[midnight]

1. K&R

[midnight]

2. K&R

[whistler162]

3. Here's to politicians and diplomats who appear

to have actually learned from history!

[Jackpine Radical]

4. Wuddnt be proooodnt, ya know.

Gotta look like we're noooootril til we figger out who's gonna win. Gotta keep that old guy propped up cuz if he falls, the next one might not like our empire very much.

[Arctic Dave]

5. When I was 19 I lost my skateboard off the dock in Bahrain.

I wonder if it still there.

[Scottybeamer70]

6. I can only imagine

the back room deals going on about some new foreign policies that
might have to take place, now that the world is looking a bit different.
Must be getting mighty hectic these days!

[No Elephants]

7. I'm okay with speaking in terms of self-determination, but not with calling for regime change.

It maybe a small point, but it's up to the people of each country who and what their "regime" is. And, if we do call for regime change, what happens if we're ignored? Another Iraq style invasion?

[Pirate Smile]

8. U.S. ‘Gravely Concerned’ Over Violence in Libya

Source: The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Sunday condemned Libya’s use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators, pointing to what it said were “multiple credible” reports that “hundreds of people” had been killed and injured in several days of unrest.
In the administration’s strongest statement on the escalating violence in Libya, the State Department said that it was “gravely concerned” about the reports and that the number of deaths was unknown because of a lack of access to many parts of the country by news organizations and human rights groups.

-snip-
The impact of the administration’s sharp criticism of Libya’s firing on demonstrators was unclear, and stood in contrast to how President Obama’s strong criticism of the use of force by security forces in Bahrain appeared to have pressured its government to withdraw police officers and troops from the main square of that country’s capital, Manama.

On Friday night, Mr. Obama spoke to King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain, leaning on the government to show restraint, especially against peaceful protesters, and pressing for meaningful reform. The next day, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, Thomas E. Donilon, telephoned the crown prince, Sheik Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, to underscore Mr. Obama’s message. Mr. Donilon praised the prince’s orders earlier in the day to withdraw security forces.

-snip-
Middle East security experts say the United States has greater influence over allies like Bahrain than countries with which relations are more strained, including Libya, even though full diplomatic ties were restored in 2009.
In Bahrain’s case, the administration is also balancing the interests of Saudi Arabia, another monarchy, which is connected to Bahrain by a causeway. Senior Saudi officials have expressed displeasure that Mr. Obama has allowed the protests to continue, and even grow, by espousing political and economic reforms in the region.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/world/middleeast/21diplomacy.html?hp

[drokhole]

9. Remember the color-coded terror threat level chart of the Bush years?

The Obama administration needs to make a color-coded concern level chart just to save some time. Let's see where this would fall on the scale:

Green - Not Breaking a Sweat
Blue - We might want to look in to this
Yellow - You have our attention
Orange - Gravely
Red - Pants-shitting


Ladies and gentlemen, we are at Concern Level Orange.

[Pirate Smile]

10. The Obama Administration kicked the color-coded terrorism system to the curb. It's gone. No more of

these:

[Populist_Prole]

11. Even when I used to be Republican I thought the alert color codes were idiotic

The quintessential feel-good measure. We would have been better to use the Sesame St characters from the get-go.

[JDPriestly]

12. Is it coincidental that our new support for real democracy in the Middle East

has come just after business including most likely foreign business interests provided so much financial support for the Republicans in November?

I'm beginning to think that maybe I know where a fair share of the Chamber's Republican war chest might have come for? Maybe it wasn't just from the Koch Brothers.

I think that Obama really supports nonviolent demonstrations, and maybe even democracy in the Middle East, but I am suspecting (and it is just a suspicion) that there might be something more here than meets the eye. There usually is.

You scratch our back. We'll scratch yours. You don't scratch our back, and we shall see what happens . . . . .

[JCMach1]

13. The difference is we have NO leverage in Libya...

The 5th Fleet Gives us huge leverage in Bahrain. It's a pretty good bet that's why the government stopped their extreme crackdown.

[bemildred]

14. Whoever wins, we are "for" them. nt

[tahrir]

15. The Worlds Biggest Hypocrite is Now the Worlds Biggest Loser

what's an empire to do :shrug: