How Bahrain Spends Millions To Spin The Press

How Bahrain Spends Millions To Spin The Press
9 April, 2012 – By Matt Hardigree -Jalopnik

The press reports “saboteur” — not a pro-democracy protester.

And those fiery armored vehicles bearing down on him are “enlightened peace keepers” being trained to become a “highly modern and sensitive public security force” — not part of the brutal Bahraini security forces who killed at least 13 people in an uprising last year and a 14th protestor less than two weeks ago.

That is, at least if you’re to believe emails sent to me by a former leading political editor from the United Kingdom whose job it is now to front for the Kingdom of Bahrain in their pursuit of better press from western outlets.

It was part of an orchestrated campaign by Bahrain’s ruling elite who want the return of the Formula One race later this month that was cancelled last year when the country was one of many states involved in what the west has dubbed the “Arab Spring.”

The race is back on — as of now — thanks to this effort to convince the press that all is well in the tiny Arab kingdom.

Perfect conditions for a race if you don’t mind the occasional tear gas or dead protestor. Excuse me, “saboteur.”
Bahrain And The “Arab Spring”

Bahrain is an Island kingdom in the Persian Gulf of about 300 square miles with a population of only 1.23 million. It’s nominally a constitutional monarchy, although all real power lies within the hands of the royal family, led by King Hamad bin isa Al Khalifa. The unelected prime minster — the longest serving prime minister in the world — is the King’s uncle.

As with many of the countries in the region, there are religious differences. The ruling elite are Sunni. The majority of the country is Shiite. Despite previous attempts at weak political reform the Shiite majority is mainly poor with little political power.

Pro-Democracy groups representing the marginalized portions of the population called for a day of action and took to the streets on February14th, 2011 in the midst of the “Arab Spring.” First a few thousand individuals appeared and then, eventually, hundreds of thousands. Nearly a quarter of the population may have protested at one point or another. They gathered around the Pearl Monument in Pearl Square in the capital city of Manama — a 300-foot sculpture that became a symbol of the protests. Their version of Egypt’s Tahrir Square. …more