The West clings to Morally Bankrupt Regime where ‘democracy’ is not of its making

The West Conspires Against Bahrain While Exploiting Syria
Ali Mushaima – 21 September, 2012 – Al Akhbar

“If you need something done, then do it yourself.” This saying best describes what many of the oppressed and downtrodden are doing in the region by rising up against their repressive regimes.

These people lived through many years of humiliation, deprivation and discrimination, as well as being subjected to torture and abuse by their tyrannical rulers, who often enjoyed the support and protection of major world powers. Muammar Gaddafi became a close friend to Western leaders and Hosni Mubarak as seen as a wise ruler.

But as soon as this changed – thanks to the revolution and the strong will of the people – “those who were followed disowned those who followed them, then they saw the torment, and all their relations were cut off from them,” as the Quran says.

The very same world powers now portray themselves as sponsors and backers of the right to self-determination and democracy, providing men and material for these noble goals, while continuing in their old ways by supporting some of the most reactionary and obscurantist regimes in the world – the Saudi and Bahraini ruling families.

World powers now portray themselves as sponsors and backers of the right to self-determination and democracy while continuing in their old ways by supporting some of the most reactionary and obscurantist regimes in the world.
The events unfolding in Syrian are proof of this fact. If an observer examines the Western position on the Syrian crisis from the perspective of a Bahraini, they would see with their own eyes how Western attitudes differ under one roof – acting here, while remaining silent over there.

Below are six important facts to consider regarding the Western position on Syria and Bahrain, and the future of the peoples and regimes of both countries – amid Western duplicity and double standards.

Firstly, in Syria, Western governments are putting pressure on the Syrian regime at all levels, in support of democracy and the oppressed, as they purport. The Syrian regime thus finds itself caught in a confrontation with the international community, which repeats slogans about freedom and human rights, ad nauseam.

In Bahrain, meanwhile, the same international powers are battling the people, instead of the regime. Their political leaders rarely condemn, denounce or reject the practices of the house of Khalifa against the people of Bahrain. By contrast, it is all too often said that the Khalifa regime is a strategic ally that must be protected at any cost.

Secondly, for Western political leaders, everything is justifiable for the sake of imposing democracy in Syria. For this reason, armed insurrection is fully sanctioned to attain this goal, and logistical support is readily provided for this aim, with efforts to impose a no-fly zone or even intervene militarily in order to assist the Syrian people. …more