King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain is the latest autocrat to choose brutality, rather than reform, to try to silence his people’s demands for a more just government. His actions are unconscionable and miss the lessons of Egypt and Tunisia where violence only fed popular anger. Hosni Mubarak and Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali are now gone.
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Times Topic: Bahrain
Protests in Bahrain were peaceful and festive on Wednesday when thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators — including children — bedded down in Pearl Square for the night. Hours later, hundreds of riot police stormed the area without warning, firing tear gas, concussion grenades, rubber bullets and shotguns.
Nicholas D. Kristof of The Times interviewed paramedics who said they were beaten for treating the injured. At least five people were killed. Two other protesters were killed earlier in the week.
Bahrain’s pro-democracy movement was inspired by Egypt and Tunisia, but the grievances of its Shiite majority are longstanding. They compose 70 percent of the citizenry but hold only four of 23 cabinet slots. They are excluded from serving in the police and army. In last October’s election, the Shiites won less than half of the seats in the National Assembly, raising charges of vote-rigging.
King Hamad has repeatedly vowed both political and economic reforms but has never really delivered. Now the government is looking for a scapegoat — blaming Iran for the unrest. Tehran certainly never misses a chance to foment trouble. But the Shiites’ demands are legitimate, and the appeal of Iran and other extremists will only grow if the government continues on this path.
For too long, the United States has muted its criticism of what goes in Bahrain, to ensure the kingdom’s cooperation on security issues. Bahrain is home to the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet and an ally in efforts to counter Iran, terrorism and piracy.
After all of its backing and forthing on Egypt, we hoped the White House would have figured this one out. On Wednesday, President Obama criticized Iran’s crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, and pointedly did not mention Bahrain. On Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton did better, expressing strong opposition to the violence and support for reform.
Bahrain’s brutality is not only at odds with American values, it is a threat to the country’s long-term stability. Washington will need to push harder.
