On the Arab demands for democratic rule; “It’s a great opportunity for the United States, but we are constrained by budget and to some extent constrained by political obstacles,” she said. “I’m determined that we’re going to do as much as we can within those constraints to deal with the opportunities that I see from Tunisia to Libya and Egypt and beyond.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – as the US and Europe launch unprecedented moves to sell weapons to tyranical governments throughout the region.

Tumult of Arab Spring Prompts Worries in Washington
By STEVEN LEE MYERS – Published: September 17, 2011 – NYT

WASHINGTON — While the popular uprisings of the Arab Spring created new opportunities for American diplomacy, the tumult has also presented the United States with challenges — and worst-case scenarios — that would have once been almost unimaginable.

What if the Palestinians’ quest for recognition of a state at the United Nations, despite American pleas otherwise, lands Israel in the International Criminal Court, fuels deeper resentment of the United States, or touches off a new convulsion of violence in the West Bank and Gaza?

Or if Egypt, emerging from decades of autocratic rule under President Hosni Mubarak, responds to anti-Israeli sentiments on the street and abrogates the Camp David peace treaty, a bulwark of Arab-Israeli stability for three decades?

“We’re facing an Arab awakening that nobody could have imagined and few predicted just a few years ago,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a recent interview with reporters and editors of The New York Times. “And it’s sweeping aside a lot of the old preconceptions.”

It may also sweep aside, or at least diminish, American influence in the region. The bold vow on Friday by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to seek full membership at the United Nations amounted to a public rebuff of weeks of feverish American diplomacy. His vow came on top of a rapid and worrisome deterioration of relations between Egypt and Israel and between Israel and Turkey, the three countries that have been the strongest American allies in the region.

Diplomacy has never been easy in the Middle East, but the recent events have so roiled the region that the United States fears being forced to take sides in diplomatic or, worse, military disputes among its friends. Hypothetical outcomes seem chillingly present. What would happen if Turkey, a NATO ally that the United States is bound by treaty to defend, sent warships to escort ships to Gaza in defiance of Israel’s blockade, as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to do?

Crises like the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador in Turkey, the storming of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and protests outside the one in Amman, Jordan, have compounded a sense of urgency and forced the Obama administration to reassess some of this country’s fundamental assumptions, and to do so on the fly.

“The region has come unglued,” said Robert Malley, a senior analyst in Washington for the International Crisis Group. “And all the tools the United States has marshaled in the past are no longer as effective.”

The United States, as a global power and permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, still has significant ability to shape events in the region. This was underscored by the flurry of telephone calls that President Obama, Mrs. Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta made to their Egyptian and Israeli counterparts to diffuse tensions after the siege of Israeli Embassy in Cairo this month.

At the same time, the toppling of leaders who preserved a stable, if strained, status quo for decades — Mr. Mubarak, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya and Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia — has unleashed powerful and still unpredictable forces that the United States has only begun to grapple with and is likely to be doing so for years.

In the process, diplomats worry, the actions of the United States could even nudge the Arab Spring toward radicalism by angering newly enfranchised citizens of democratic nations.

In the case of Egypt, the administration has promised millions of dollars in aid to support a democratic transition, only to see the military council ruling the country object to how and where it is spent, according to two administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic matters. The objection echoed similar ones that came from Mr. Mubarak’s government. The government and the political parties vying for support before new elections there have also intensified anti-American talk. The officials privately warned of the emergence of an outwardly hostile government, dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and remnants of Mr. Mubarak’s party.

The upheaval in Egypt has even raised the prospect that it might break its Camp David peace treaty with Israel, with Egypt’s prime minister, Essam Sharaf, telling a Turkish television channel last week that the deal was “not a sacred thing and is always open to discussion.”

The administration, especially Mrs. Clinton, also spent months trying to mediate between Turkey and Israel over the response to the Israeli military operation last year that killed nine passengers aboard a ship trying to deliver aid to Gaza despite an Israeli embargo — only to see both sides harden their views after a United Nations report on the episode became public.

Unflinching support for Israel has, of course, been a constant of American foreign policy for years, often at the cost of political and diplomatic support elsewhere in the region, but the Obama administration has also sought to improve ties with Turkey after the chill that followed the invasion of Iraq in 2003. …more

Obama preaching Democracy and Aiding Dictators like Al Khalifa , Ale Saud, Saleh

JNN 19 Sept 2011 : The United Sates gave 90 million dollars in military aid to Bahrain regime, since President Barak Obama’s tenure started, Press TV reported.

“The Obama administration’s support for the al-Khalifa dictatorship (Bahrain’s ruling dynasty) has been continuous. Over 92 million dollars of aid were directed by Obama since his inauguration and another 26.2 million dollars slated for next year,” Press TV quoted Ralph Schoenman author of Hidden History of Zionism.

Formerly, two nations signed 10- year military pact on October 28, 1999, and renewed it again in October 2001 for another 10-year. Washington Post reported the secret extension of the pact for another five years. Former President of the United States Gorge W Bush extended the accord. United States helped Bahrain regime to repress Bahraini’s peaceful protests by such military pacts.

“The Pentagon has cut specific deals with Bahrain sending American tanks, armored personnel carriers, helicopter gunships, thousands of 38-caliber pistols, millions of rounds of ammunition, 50-caliber rounds used in sniper rifles and machine guns, bullets for hand guns and specifically, gas,” Schoenman said.

It seems contradictory that on the one hand countries like US claim for supporting freedom and democracy, and on the other hand they endorse such contracts to assist dictator regimes. Many Bahraini people have been arrested by the Saudi-backed regime since revolution started in February.

The clear difference in the US Preaching and Practice they adopt shows their , evil designs of working against the Human Rights Not Only around the world , but also in their Homeland , as the Number of People living under the Poverty line is increasing every day , while the Tax Cuts and Rebates are being paid by the US Government to the already Filthy Rich Cooperate Giants , which are in one way or the other connected to the government , and are the Major Players in changing and Keeping the government intact. …source

Saudis to U.S.: You’re Sleeping on the Couch Tonight
By Paul Mutter, September 16, 2011 – FPIP

Prominent Saudi officials have been wagging their fingers at the U.S. since 9/11, trying to convince Washington that Riyadh is as indispensable to the U.S.’s Middle East status quo as Tel Aviv is. One such prominent Saudi official, Prince Bandar, has gone so far as to compare the arrangement between Saudi Arabia as a “Catholic marriage,” i.e., periods of separation are allowed but divorce is not. He is, by U.S. standards, an exasperating partner because of his proclivity to make statements along the lines of “the U.S. shouldn’t be counted on to restore stability across the Middle East” and to go around the U.S.’s back in conversations with Pakistani, Emirates and Malaysian officials.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi ambassador and intelligence chief (one of the main silent partners in the U.S.-led campaign to arm the Afghan mujahideen in the 1980s) is suggesting the stubborn U.S. will soon be seeing some unwelcome papers from his lawyer. He warns the U.S. that its recalcitrance over the Palestinian Authority’s effort at the UN will force the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reconsider its ties with Washington. From the New York Times:

The United States must support the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations this month or risk losing the little credibility it has in the Arab world. If it does not, American influence will decline further, Israeli security will be undermined and Iran will be empowered, increasing the chances of another war in the region.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia would no longer be able to cooperate with America in the same way it historically has. With most of the Arab world in upheaval, the “special relationship” between Saudi Arabia and the United States would increasingly be seen as toxic by the vast majority of Arabs and Muslims, who demand justice for the Palestinian people.

Saudi leaders would be forced by domestic and regional pressures to adopt a far more independent and assertive foreign policy. Like our recent military support for Bahrain’s monarchy, which America opposed, Saudi Arabia would pursue other policies at odds with those of the United States, including opposing the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Iraq and refusing to open an embassy there despite American pressure to do so. The Saudi government might part ways with Washington in Afghanistan and Yemen as well.

Considering that the Saudis have long been our partners in making Afghanistan, Yemen and Bahrain what they are today, their newfound “unhelpfulness” would certainly undermine U.S. interests in those countries — if it actually comes to pass.

Saudi statements about Israel today essentially amount to (hypocritical) bluster. Saudi Arabia is no sudden human rights champion, however much the royal family goes on about Palestinian refugees and self-determination. And in foreign policy, there is far too much at stake for both Riyadh and Washington to have a falling out.

Nor can the Saudis realistically expect to get a better deal in Iraq than the one they currently have in the form of the U.S.-backed al-Maliki, since a different government might be more willing to work with Iran, the Saudis’ archenemy and “populist” theocratic rival (though Tehran today is about as authentically populist as Rick Perry).

In Yemen and Bahrain, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia basically have the same interests: marginalize Iran and suppress popular dissent under the banner of counterterrorism. The Saudis also cannot expect to easily switch out military suppliers and consultants when it comes to their armed forces, as U.S. intel and equipment dominates the Saudi defense apparatus.

Most likely, there will be a flurry of diplomatic snubs (“Emirates, please tell the U.S. to pass the salt.”), but little more than that — you cannot say the Saudis are going to undermine aspects of U.S. policy in retaliation because, well, Saudi officials have done that on a regular basis in both good times and bad, in sickness and in health, for rich or for … rich.

It’s a turbulent marriage, to be sure, but remember, divorce is not permitted! And while you can annul a Catholic marriage, neither the U.S. government nor the Saudi royal family will be annulling theirs, whatever happens in Israel and the Occupied Territories from here on out.

Paul Mutter is a graduate student at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at NYU and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus. …source

Egypt Returns to Bad Old Days of Repression
Posted by: Geoffrey Mock, September 19, 2011 at 12:00 PM

It’s a return to the bad old days of repression for Egypt.

Last week, the military regime took a significant step back – severely threatening free speech, free association and assembly, and the right to strike – by expanding the government’s “emergency powers.”

These “State of Emergency” powers are the same ones the Mubarak regime used in its assault on human rights. The military authorities have essentially taken Egypt’s laws back to the bad old days of repression.

And with the coming parliamentary election, the timing couldn’t be worst. The Egyptian people have waited so long for free elections, but even the most devoted of Egyptian democracy activists knew that a lot of difficult work had to be done in little time to build the foundations of free press, independent judiciary and other pillars needed for free elections.

Fair elections cannot be held in 2011 if the military regime is using “emergency powers” to arrest people without charge. Instead of expanding these powers the military council needs to fulfill the promise they made at the fall of the Mubarak regime in February to end the State of Emergency.

At several critical moments over these past months, the military council has set back that work, through harassment of journalists and bloggers, arrests of political activists, curtailment of public protests, and resuming unfair trials of civilians in military court.

The US government appears to be in a weak position to do anything about this, although officials have raised their usual objections. They will not be heard in Cairo.

No, the challenge to the regime, as it did back in January, will come from inside of Egypt. As this blog is being written, mass protests are again being formed in Tahrir Square. Time and time again this summer, Egyptians have returned to where the uprising began and told the military rulers that they haven’t forgotten the dream of Jan. 25. This time, many are vowing to remain until the three-decade old State of Emergency is lifted.

Amnesty International is urging the Egyptian authorities to respect the rights of demonstrators to protest peacefully tomorrow. We fear that the security forces will interpret these amendments as a sign that they have been ‘let off the leash’. …source

Urgent Appeal: Teacher Mahdi Abu Deeb and President of Bahrain teacher Association Life is at Risk in Bahraini Prison
19 Sep 2011 – BCHR

Arrest and detention: violence and torture

On March 20th, the house of the President of BTA, Mahdi Abu Deeb, was raided by security forces in the middle of the night. They did not find him home but his wife and children were interrogated for two hours.

On April 6th, security forces raided his uncle’s house, he was thrown from the second floor then taken by the security forces, held incommunicado for more than a month with no access to family or lawyer. He was in solitary confinement for the whole period until his first military court hearing on 7 June and he was subjected to severe torture and ill-treatment.

Accusations and dissolving the teachers society

On April 7th, the Ministry of Social Development dissolved the Bahrain Teachers’ Association, falsely accusing the union of “issuing statements and speeches inciting teachers and students” and “calling for a strike at schools, disrupting educational establishments, in addition to manipulation school students”. The statement also blamed BTS President, Mahdi Abu Deeb (49 years), of having “delivered speeches haranguing and instigated protestors and inciting them against the political regime, flouting the real voluntary and lofty goals of the association” for protecting both teachers and students by calling for strike after violence committed by regime’s forces and thugs escalated against schools and students.

Hunger Strike and Military Trial: Deteriorating health

On Sunday, 11 September, Mahdi Abu Deeb started a hunger strike demanding his release and for all false charges to be dropped. Today, his health is deteriorating not only for not eating but also for not taking his medicine which puts him at a great risk, especially that he suffers from health disease, diabetes and blood pressure. Mr. Mahdi is awaiting a trial at military court on Sunday, 25 September.

We appeal to you to demand the immediate release of Mr. Mahdi Abu Deeb’s to save his life and put an end to his unfair arrest. …source

Testimonies from Bahrain: Jailed Activist’s Wife Speaks Out
Trials in Bahrain will continue on September 25. Please take action now!
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and his wife Khadija
By Khadija al-Mousawi, wife of imprisoned human rights defender ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.

It was on a Friday when we gathered in my daughter Fatima’s flat as a family – eating together, talking about politics and human rights or joking and laughing.

Suddenly we heard a very loud noise. In a matter of seconds the flat door was broken in and burly, masked men burst into the room. I cannot explain how I felt at that moment, because no word in the dictionary, or in any language, can explain it.

My husband had always said “whenever they come to take me, please do not interfere and I will just go with them”. But he was not allowed to go peacefully. One of them grabbed him by the neck and then pulled him down the stairs by his legs. He was brutally beaten – punched and kicked in front of me and my daughters. When my eldest daughter interfered, they responded with insults and tried to arrest her too. I was torn between begging them not to take her and looking at my husband on the stairs where they were still kicking him and praying that he was ok. As if that was not enough, I suddenly noticed three masked men holding my three sons-in-law by their necks and taking them downstairs. At that point I was furious, sad and helpless.

My husband was gone, but I could not show how sad I felt because my daughters were suffering after watching the arrest of their husbands and father.

From that night on, our lifestyle changed. We would stay up all night, just in case the masked men decided to come back, and sleep after sunrise. We always slept fully clothed, just in case. Every sound made me jump and check the apartment was safe.

Days went by and we were waiting for news – any news. We asked a lawyer to try to get any information about their condition or whereabouts. He told us that that would be fruitless since lawyers weren’t being told anything about detainees. I was praying to God, “Please just keep them alive!” – because after seeing how ‘Abdulhadi was beaten, I was not sure that he had survived. My daughter decided to go on hunger strike. She was getting weaker and weaker every day. …more

Bahrain Requests Humvee Mounted TOW-2A and TOW-2B Missiles
By US Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Monday, September 19th, 2011

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Bahrain for Armored High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles, TOW Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support worth an estimated $53 million.

The Government of Bahrain has requested a possible sale of 44 M1152A1B2 Armored High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), 200 BGM-71E-4B-RF Radio Frequency (RF) Tube-Launched Optically-Tracked Wire-Guided Missiles (TOW-2A), 7 Fly-to-Buy RF TOW-2A Missiles, 40 BGM-71F-3-RF TOW-2B Aero Missiles, 7 Fly-to-Buy RF TOW-2B Aero Missiles, 50 BGM-71H-1RF Bunker Buster Missiles (TOW-2A), 7 Fly-to-Buy RF Bunker Buster Missiles (TOW-2A), 48 TOW-2 Launchers, AN/UAS-12A Night Sight Sets, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated cost is $53 million.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.

The proposed sale will improve Bahrain’s capability to meet current and future armored threats. Bahrain will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The prime contractors will be AM General in South Bend, Indiana, and Raytheon Missile Systems Corporation in Tucson, Arizona. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Bahrain.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded. …source

US, Bahrain in talks on $53mn arms deal
Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:18PM GMT

The United States and Bahrain are currently discussing a deal, which, if it goes through, would see the US sell the Persian Gulf kingdom $53 million of military equipment, according to a recent report.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which is part of the US Department of Defense, has notified the Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the government of Bahrain, the German defense news website defpro.com reported on Thursday.

DSCA provides financial and technical assistance, transfer of defense materials, training, and services to US allies, and promotes military-to-military contracts.

Bahrain is seeking to purchase armored high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles, TOW missiles and associated equipment, and training and logistical support from the US military.

Reports estimate the total cost of the deal, which still needs to get congressional approval, to be over $53 million.

In February, Manama began a harsh crackdown on Bahraini citizens calling for an end to the absolute monarchy at anti-government demonstrations.

Human rights groups say the United States, Britain, and other Western countries are supplying arms to the Bahraini regime.

The US is selling arms to Bahrain despite the fact that scores of people have been killed and many more arrested and tortured in prisons in the Saudi-backed crackdown on protests in Bahrain — a longtime ally of the US and home to a huge military base of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Bahraini forces have abducted many people, including opposition activists, journalists, teachers, students, doctors, and nurses, and have also destroyed dozens of mosques.

Human rights groups and the families of protesters arrested during the crackdown say that most detainees have been physically and psychologically abused. …source

WMA appeals to King of Bahrain over Trial of Health Professionals

(16.09.2011) The World Medical Association has appealed directly to the King of Bahrain to intervene in the case of the 20 health professionals facing trial in the country after they treated injured protesters during the recent political unrest.

In a letter to King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa, the WMA urges him to carry out an immediate and independent investigation into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment against some of the health professionals, as well as against other detainees in Bahrain, to make the results public, and to bring to justice any officials responsible for the torture or other ill-treatment of detainees.

The WMA adds that the confessions obtained under torture must not be submitted or used as evidence in the trial of the 20 health professionals or any other trials in Bahrain.

The health professionals, including a number of physicians, are due to appear before a military court on September 26 charged with participating in efforts to overthrow the Bahraini monarchy and taking part in illegal rallies.

The WMA says it believes that if the health workers are found guilty, they could be possible prisoners of conscience.

In its letter, which was also sent to Bahrain’s Minister of Social Development and the Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, the WMA says the trial, according to Amnesty International, does not appear to have met international standards for fair trial.

‘We are deeply concerned that, despite the serious charges brought against them, these health professionals appear to have been brought to trial solely because of their peaceful efforts to provide medical assistance to people injured by government security forces during popular protests in February and March, in which case those held in custody would be prisoners of conscience and should be immediately and unconditionally released.

‘All healthcare personnel must be protected and supported in their moral, ethical and professional responsibilities to provide care for the sick and injured. We call on you to be fair and just in this matter.’ …source

Jaffar Hassan dies after serious injuries and security forces attack mourners
19 Sep 2011 – BCHR

Jaffar Hasan, 28 years-old, married with two kids, one boy n one girl is from Demistan. Back in March 2011, the security forces stormed his house in search of his wanted brother, as his brother was not there, they beat him up severely. And for the second time in the same month, security forces once again stormed his flat in Buri, in search of his brother, and again he was severely beaten, particularly on his stomach and chest. His health deteriorated due to the kicking on his chest, and he was taken to Salmaniya Medical Complex for treatment for three days, then to Jordan, where he was diagnosed with Hepatitis and bowel perforation.

Jaffar was brought back from Jordan late July, when his health further deteriorated, so he was admitted to Salmaniyah hospital again on 8th August and remained in the ICU until he passed away on 18th August 2011. According to his family, Jaffar Hasan was fit and healthy and did not suffer from any kind of diseases, and his health deteriorated due to the outrageous beatings by the security forces.

Jaffar and his injuries

As the funeral procession was finishing, mourners were heavily attacked by security forces. There were reports of attempts by security forces to run people over with their jeeps. …source