February 14th Revolution in Bahrain

DvD1108 · 19. Februar 2012

Ich bin kein Newsposter, also entschuldigt, dass der Text nicht deutsch ist und dass ich einfach nur gequotet habe, ohne "wichtige" Teile zu makieren.

This week, Bahrain marks the first anniversary of an unrest which began when a Facebook page titled ‘February 14th Revolution in Bahrain’ called for mass protests inspired by the Arab Spring demonstrations then raging in Tunisia and some other countries in the Middle East.

Since then, Bahrain is in turmoil. Violent protests and clashes have resulted in the deaths of many people and injuries to hundreds. The uprising resulted in the deployment of troops from the Peninsula Shield Force to protect key government infrastructure, which, instead of alleviating the crisis, aggravated it forcing H M King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to declare a state of emergency. On February 18, 2011, the Pearl Roundabout, the centrepiece of the uprising, was demolished by the government troops.

The state of emergency was lifted in June last year and H M King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa set up an independent commission to investigate the events. But Bahrain continues to simmer. The crisis is not yet resolved, and the opposition is as vociferous as ever. What went wrong? Why did the government measures to bring peace fail to make an impact? How can it wriggle out of the current crisis? Answers to these questions are crucial if Manama is not to meet the fate of some other Middle East countries.

First of all, it’s unfortunate that Bahrain is witnessing an uprising considering it’s one of the first countries in the Gulf to embrace political reforms. The Bahraini constitution was promulgated in 1973 and in the same year the first parliamentary elections were held. In 2000, after King Hamad came to power, he implemented a series of reforms such as granting amnesty, dissolving the State Security Courts and implementing the Bahrain National Action Charter, a document approved in a national referendum, which brought constitutional reforms to the country.

With such an exemplary past, Bahrain should have remained peaceful and prospered. If it hasn’t, the reason is that it has floundered on reforms.

The government promised some reforms including limiting the power of the executive while giving the parliament a bigger role in governance, including the right to question ministers. But their implementation has been slow and many don’t even trust the government to fulfill its promises.

Secondly, as with other uprisings in the region, the turmoil in Bahrain is rooted in socio-economic factors. According to the CIA World Factbook, Bahrain’s unemployment rate was 15 percent in 2005, and has increased since then. There rich-poor income gap is huge. The economy is in dire straits. The country’s public debt currently stands at 75.3 percent of the GDP. Address these economic problems and the protests will subside. Infrastructure should be upgraded; people should be given good housing; social and living standards must improve, and most of all, more jobs should be created.

It is noteworthy that a GCC Marshall Plan was launched to help Bahrain and Oman, which was also hit by protests. An amount of $ 10bn has been allotted to Bahrain to upgrade its housing and infrastructure in 10 years. The GCC plan also promised to give job opportunities to its citizens.

The Bahrain experience should serve as a warning to other countries in the Middle East. When the protests in Manama began, the demonstrators, who came from various backgrounds, only wanted broad social and economic reforms. In fact, during an interview with Al Jazeera at the beginning of the protests, Nabil Rajab, a human rights activist and head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, said, “All the demands have to do with human rights and not with the ruling family and their regime.”

However, as the crisis snowballed and dragged on, it took a sectarian dimension and became politicised, pitting Sunnis against Shias and vice versa. This has created social friction to such an extent that members of one group now refuse to buy products from the other. Unfortunately, some areas in the country are now divided along sectarian lines.

The government must initiate measures to unite various groups failing which Bahrain will eventually become like Lebanon, where divisions between Sunnis and Shias are very pronounced. The government should act fast on political, economic, social reforms before sectarianism rips the country apart.

A law should be made to allow the formation of political parties based on political beliefs and not on sectarian lines. The government should provide equal opportunities to all Bahrainis irrespective of their ethnic and sectarian leanings so that everyone feels at home.

The GCC too should take the issue of sectarianism seriously as it breeds discord and dissent. We must learn lessons from the past and present and should not allow the machinations of a few to threaten the security of our region. Media too can play a crucial role in educating people against the dangers of sectarianism.

One disheartening news is that some organisations based in the Gulf are plotting against Manama. The Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Forces, Field Marshall Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, said in an interview that of around 22 non-government organisations (NGOs) working against his country, nineteen are based in the US and three in a Gulf country. It is ironical that the Gulf soil is used to destabilise a member country, because the basic tenet of the GCC is unity and cooperation.
The Peninsula

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Quelle

Ich find es traurig, dass ich von dieser Revolution erst durch 9gag.com erfahren habe. Wie kann es sein, dass man so gut wie keine deutschen Nachrichten über dieses Thema findet? Ist dieses ganze System denn schon so hoffnungslos in Zensur und Korruption versunken?

Aber bleiben wir mal beim Thema.

Wie kommt es, dass in der letzten Zeit in so vielen nord-afrikanischen und orientalischen Ländern Demonstrationen/Revolutionen stattfinden?
Und sind diese für den Westen eher positiv oder negativ?

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doomhsf · 19. Februar 2012

AW: February 14th Revolution in Bahrain

Um mal auf die ersten Fragen einzugehen: Es gab eine Reaktion zu dem Aufstand. Wohl zwangsweise, weil der F1 Grand-Prix dort abgesagt werden musste. Aber es wurde natürlich klein gehalten, weil Bahrain als einer der "Verbündeten" von den westlichen Staaten gilt.

Vor allem musst du unterscheiden zwischen deutschen Medien und den restlichen im "Westen". Die deutschen Medien scheinen nur noch Meldungen von dpa, reuters etc. komplett zu übernehmen. Eigenständige Recherche ist so gut wie nicht mehr vorhanden. Dazu kommt, dass die Springer-Presse pro amerikanisch/israelisch ist. Da wirst du nie ein richtig kritisches Wort lesen. Und die restlichen Medien haben sich alle in diesen Einheitswahn reingeschrieben, so dass die deutsche Medienkultur im Prinzip nicht mehr unabhängig ist.

Was ich irgendwie als mahnendes Beispiel nehme ist das Interview von Martin Sonneborn mit dem Pharmalobbyisten. Das, was eigentlich zensiert wurde. Alleine diese Gesprächskultur zeigt doch, dass sich Medien mit ihren Gegenüber absprechen, was sie senden.

Das allergrößte Problem ist: Das ganze will entweder keiner realisieren oder es ist ihnen egal. Und dafür können nicht die kleinen Journalisten in den Lokalzeitungen etwas. Jeder weiß welche Medien wirklichen Einfluss haben. Und das ist für die Bevölkerung an sich nur noch traurig.

Beispielhaft ist doch z.B. das Interview von Todenhöfer über Syrien. Immmerhin gibt es das. Nur beachtet wird es im Prinzip gar nicht. Außer im Internet.

bushido · 19. Februar 2012

AW: February 14th Revolution in Bahrain

Bahrain ist für die USA/den Westen strategisch wichtig, da sich dort der Stützpunkt der 5. US Flotte befindet.

Die Heuchelei des Westens ist durch den mit Hilfe von Saudi Arabien blutig niedergeschlagenen Aufstand in Bahrain besonders deutlich geworden. Ein Aufstand, der wirklich vom Volk gekommen ist und nicht von außen angezettelt wurde.

Sowohl Saudi Arabien, wie auch Bahrain werden vom Westen mit Technik ausgestattet, die den Regimes hilft ihre Bevölkerung mit Gewalt zu unterdrücken. Auch Deutschland ist aktiv daran beteiligt.

Wir (im Westen) sind, Ausnahmen gibt es natürlich, immer noch Völker von Heuchlern, geführt von Heuchlern und Lügnern.

Black090 · 19. Februar 2012

AW: February 14th Revolution in Bahrain

die sind sehr gut organisiert^^

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