U.S. delays arms sale to Bahrain amid ‘Arab Spring’ crackdown – a ruse by another name is still a ruse

[cb editor: While it is good news to see some of the Senate and Congress climb on board the Peace Train Train for bound for Bahrain. Obama’s so called “Silent pressure” from every stretch of the imagination has only been silence no one can say when and if Obama ever pressured. All the while Obama is dumping $60B in weapons to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain’s true master of treachery and Obama’s master through oil and weapons profiteering. Aside from Obama weapons greed and oil dependency there remains the US-Saudi-Israel belligerent posture toward Iran as a far more likely reason for the silence – lets be clear there is no silent or any other kind of diplomacy to move the al Kalifa’s to Democratic rule in Bahrain. The US motives for silence have been a military strategy against Iran that does not want to upset the 5th fleet’s “apple cart” in Bahrain. Their silence has been exactly that, silence couple with a few ataboys. And the few times the US has been verbally assertive the al Khalifa’s have responded with increased crushing blows to the opposition in Bahrain.

In the meantime Obama’s true diplomatic skills will soon come to play as the BICI report is presented with “low bar” recommendations and a “enough blame to go around” conclusion masquerading as “fair in balanced”… it will go something like this; since “both” sides are equally to blame for the situation in Bahrain both sides must come together in a new dialogue and negotiation of “one sided” reform with the al Khalifa’s; i.e, the old model that got everyone here in the first place will play-out yet again. If the opposition rejects the new “reform dialogue” then Obama will put the blame on the opposition and precede with business as usual. If it accepts negotiations, the Obama administration will pat it’s self on the back and proceed with business as usual.

Finally if the Obama had any interest in an independent report from the get go, the US and the West would have insisted on a mediated panel of investigators for Bahrain to begin with, not one wholly at the employee, design and selection of the al Khalifa’s. The whole injection of the BICI report as part of the the weapons deal is a ruse. I hope I’m wrong but logic and past US behaviors say otherwise. ]

U.S. delays arms sale to Bahrain amid ‘Arab Spring’ crackdown
October 19, 2011 -LA Times

REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has agreed to delay a $53-million arms sale to Bahrain, a victory for lawmakers and human rights groups opposing the transfer because of the kingdom’s continuing crackdown on its opposition.

The administration said it would postpone the deal while it weighed whether the monarchy was doing enough to investigate alleged human rights abuses and carry out political reforms.

David Adams, the assistant secretary of State for legislative affairs, wrote Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that the State Department would “assess the government of Bahrain’s effort to implement the recommendations and make needed reforms.”

The weapons included more than 40 armored Humvee military vehicles and 300 missiles.

The Obama administration has been quietly pressing the kingdom to share more power with its Shiite majority, while trying to avoid any damage to the vital U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia. Riyadh strongly supports the Bahraini monarchy and wants to preserve the status quo threatened by the protests that broke out this spring.

U.S. officials have publicly put their faith in the kingdom’s promises of a political dialogue, and an independent commission organized in July to look into alleged human rights abuses. But human rights advocates and some lawmakers have seen little progress from the political discussions and are skeptical that the investigative commission will find much fault with the government.

They say that Bahrain would take a U.S. arms sale as a sign that Washington approves of its handling of the confrontation with activists.

“As long as the Bahraini government and its security forces are using violence, unjust military trials and alleged torture against peaceful protesters, the U.S. government should not be sending more weapons there,” said Sanjeev Bery of Amnesty International.[