5th December 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Activist urges US to press 'ruthless' Bahrain
In 2011 Reda al-Fardan watched in horror as Bahraini troops plowed down protestors camped at a Manama roundabout. Now he is among Shiite activists urging greater pressure on the monarchy to implement long-promised reforms. "It's a moral choice," Fardan said, after meeting in Washington with top Obama aide Susan Rice to urge the United States to throw its weight behind activists. His NGO, Bahrain Watch, is calling for a transparent, accountable government in the nation ruled by the Sunni Khalifa dynasty since the late 18th century, amid fears of a dangerous and growing sectarian divide. Read More headquarters budget, a rst step to reign in budgets as the department faces a US $1 trillion (Dh3.67 trillion) cut over the next decade. Last week we entered our thirteenth year of combat in Afghanistan, while simultaneously delivering much-needed relief supplies in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, and while maintaining a steady state of presence in the Arabian Gulf and elsewhere, Mr Hagel said on Wednesday Read More Hagel, who arrived in Bahrain Thursday, is slated to speak to a gathering of Gulf leaders later this week at a security conference. U.S. ofcials said that he will stress America's commitment to the region, including sales of military weapons and ongoing efforts to improve the region's ability to defend itself. Read More By Quinn Mecham for Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) government's legal adviser, a London court heard on Thursday.

Bahraini minister tried to intervene in UK bribery case, court hears

A deputy prime minister of Bahrain sought to intervene in a British bribery prosecution by writing to the head of the Serious Fraud Ofce (SFO) and to the British

Lawyers said Jawad bin Salem al-Urayed wrote about the case of Victor Dahdaleh, a businessman accused of paying some $67 million in bribes to former managers of Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) in return for a cut of contracts worth over $3 billion. Read More

Hagel: US has no plans to retreat from global affairs

The US defence secretary says his country has no plans to retreat from any part of the world, as he departs for Bahrain to attend the Manama Dialogue, followed by a visit to Doha for talks with Qatari leaders. Chuck Hagel made his remarks after the Pentagon announced a 20 per cent cut to the pentagon

Bahrains Fractured Ruling Bargain: Political Mobilization, Regime Responses, and the New Sectarianism
Bahrains violent repression of its people conrms that authoritarian regimes are more than capable of dealing with political unrest. But dont be fooled, says Quinn Mecham. The Kingdoms tenuous ruling bargain has been rocked like never before.

In the context of the Arab uprisings of 2011 and 2012, Bahrains tenuous and controversial ruling bargain came under intense pressure and rapidly evolved into a high-stakes political standoff, punctuated by periods of unilateral political decisionmaking and multilateral demonstrations of force. Read More

in the Manama Dialogues ninth session on December 6-7.

Hagel to reassure Gulf allies on Iran deal

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel faces a tough challenge as he looks to reassure nervous allies in the Gulf that the U.S. will continue its strong military support to the region, even as world powers move forward on the nuclear pact with Iran.

LETTER TO US DEFENSE SECRETARY AHEAD OF MANAMA DIALOGUE

Reporters Without Borders, an international organization that defends freedom of information, would like to share with you its concerns about the situation of freedom of information in Bahrain ahead of your participation

In the two years since the start of a popular uprising in Bahrain, the kingdoms authorities have crushed demonstrations calling for political reforms and have not hesitated to target journalists and other news providers covering this protest movement and the methods used by the security forces to suppress it. Read More

Mandela, The United States, And Bahrain

As the eulogies for Nelson Mandela begin to appear it's the perfect moment to reect on how the U.S. responded to his calls to end apartheid. In the early 1980s I was living illegally in the "Blacks Only" South African township of Madadeni. People in the townships were well aware that the U.S. government supported the racist regime and was

unwilling to invoke consequences against the dictatorship. It fueled an anti-Americanism from people who felt the U.S. was not only not on their side but was colluding in their repression. Several years later bipartisan leadership in Congress changed American policy toward South Africa, condemned apartheid for the evil it was, and began to repair the reputation of the United States in the country and across the continent. Read More