Peace Be Upon You...Save Us in Bahrain

America is Bahrain's most powerful ally. As with Egypt, the U.S. has sold advanced military equipment to the kingdom, including aircraft, attack helicopters, and battle tanks. Last year, the U.S. provided around $20 million in military aid to Bahrain. 

Bahrain is also the homeport for the U.S. Fifth Fleet. From there, U.S. warships and contingents can keep an eye on everything!

Secretary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have called their counterparts in Bahrain. President Obama called Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.

"People have certain universal rights including the right to peaceful assembly," the White House said in a statement Friday. "The United States urges the governments of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen to show restraint in responding to peaceful protests, and to respect the rights of their people."

It sounds perfect!  

Intervention has always been a very contentious concept in International Law.

America has a great interest in the region. The American oil companies moved into the region in 1920 but they succeeded in making formidable penetration after the Second World War. They obtained a quarter share of the Iraq Petroleum Company, the entire concessions of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, one half of the concessions of Kuwait and 40 percent share of Iranian oil after the Second World War.

While the Obama administration has made immediate demands on the royal family to stop the violence and preserve remaining channels for reform, there is more to be done!

The U.S. must urge that King Hamad launch an investigation into the conduct of the security forces and stop the recruitment of non-Bahrainis and take immediate steps to re-empower the Bahraini parliament .

King Hamad must stop the distrust sown between Sunnis and Shiites! This false problem has obscured the underlying problem in Bahrain! 

The true problem is the rule of the few over the wishes of the many!! 

Revolutions shows that there is a link between peace and justice., and unless this link is understood  by these dictators, unrest and violence will continue until justice FOR ALL is realized!

Libya and the U.S. and OIL

Once upon a time the U.S. had legitimized Colonel Muammer al-Qadaffi's regime, which was guilty of political repression and had a long history of human rights violations, and today U.S. is backing force in Libya. 

But why is U.S. backing force in Libya but not in Bahrain??? It will be the topic of another post...

Once referred to as the "mad dog" of the Middle East by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, Qadaffi has sought reconciliation with the U.S. and the West by abandoning weapons programs, denouncing terrorism, and providing reparations payments for the families of victims killed in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.  

Bush administration took the wrong step in normalizing diplomatic relations with Libya because there was no evidence of genuine progress in Libya toward a more democratic government!

Today, the U.S. and the West are all mad again at the revolutionary, idealistic at best, tyrannical, and delusional at worst, and the longest serving head of state in the Arab world: Qadaffi!

Since Libyan crisis began, oil prices have risen about 20$ a barrel and gas prices are up about 50 cents a gallon. 

Therefore, helping Libyans to get rid of their dictator is indeed now much more important than taking the time to help Ivorians to get rid of Gbagbo! The U.S. and the rest of the world are addicted to oil!

The left in the U.S. and France were chanting no blood for oil! This popular slogan says it all! The Libyan crisis occurred between the winter home heating oil and spring driving seasons.

Libya has Africa's largest crude oil reserves. Qadaffi has ordered security services to start sabotaging oil facilities in order to send his message to the U.S and the West: It's either me or chaos!