The Obama administration and its support for democratic change in the Middle East has been on a collision course with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other traditional monarchies of the Persian Gulf.
U.S. officials have been arguing that Bahrainâs Sunni monarchy must make political compromises to give more power to the Shiite majority there.
This American enthusiasm for change has been anathema to the conservative regimes of the Gulf, and on Monday they backed Bahrainâs ruling Khalifa family with military force, marching about 2,000 troops up the causeway that links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. A senior Saudi official told me the intervention was needed to protect Bahrainâs financial district and other key facilities from violent demonstrations. He warned that radical, Iranian-backed leaders were becoming more active in the protests.
âWe donât want Iran 14 miles off our coast, and thatâs not going to happen,â said the Saudi official
âThere is a serious breachâ between the Gulf countries and Washington over the issue, warned a second Saudi official.
The Gulf regimes have come to mistrust Obama, seeing him as a weak president who will sacrifice traditional allies in his eagerness to be âon the right side of history.â
According to notes made during the conversation, the UAE official said: âWe and the Saudis will not accept a Shiite government in Bahrain. And if your president says to the Khalifas what he said to Mubarak [to leave office], it will cause a break in our relationship with the U.S.â The UAE official warned that Gulf nations were âlooking Eastâ â to China, India and Turkey â for alternative security assistance.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/high-stakes-over-bahrain/2011/03/15/AB7ykyZ_story.html
Do you agree with Obama's new foreign policy change?
U.S. officials have been arguing that Bahrainâs Sunni monarchy must make political compromises to give more power to the Shiite majority there.
This American enthusiasm for change has been anathema to the conservative regimes of the Gulf, and on Monday they backed Bahrainâs ruling Khalifa family with military force, marching about 2,000 troops up the causeway that links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. A senior Saudi official told me the intervention was needed to protect Bahrainâs financial district and other key facilities from violent demonstrations. He warned that radical, Iranian-backed leaders were becoming more active in the protests.
âWe donât want Iran 14 miles off our coast, and thatâs not going to happen,â said the Saudi official
âThere is a serious breachâ between the Gulf countries and Washington over the issue, warned a second Saudi official.
The Gulf regimes have come to mistrust Obama, seeing him as a weak president who will sacrifice traditional allies in his eagerness to be âon the right side of history.â
According to notes made during the conversation, the UAE official said: âWe and the Saudis will not accept a Shiite government in Bahrain. And if your president says to the Khalifas what he said to Mubarak [to leave office], it will cause a break in our relationship with the U.S.â The UAE official warned that Gulf nations were âlooking Eastâ â to China, India and Turkey â for alternative security assistance.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/high-stakes-over-bahrain/2011/03/15/AB7ykyZ_story.html
Do you agree with Obama's new foreign policy change?
