Tunesia, Egyt and now Yemen: a domino effect in the Middle East?

An ex British ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Syria was on Newsnight last night and he said that some of the despots in the ME are fighting for their lives. "Literally", he added. He also said that the Bahrain government had taken the decision to put the protests down and that there was no going back

The mood, however, appears to have turned towards defiance of the entire ruling system after the attack on a protest camp in Bahrain's capital, Manama, on Thursday left at least five dead and more than 230 injured. The country was placed on an emergency-like footing, with military forces in key areas and checkpoints on main roads.

"The regime has broken something inside of me ... All of these people gathered today have had something broken in them," said Ahmed Makki Abu Taki, whose 27-year-old brother Mahmoud was killed in the pre-dawn sweep through the protest camp in Pearl Square. "We used to demand for the prime minister to step down, but now our demand is for the ruling family to get out."

Outside a village mosque, several thousands mourners gathered to bury three men killed in the crackdown. The first body, covered in black velvet, was passed hand to hand towards a grave as it was being dug.

Amid the Shia funeral rites, many chanted for the removal of King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and the entire Sunni dynasty that has ruled for more than two centuries in Bahrain, the first nation in the Gulf to feel the pressure for changes sweeping North Africa and the Middle East.

There were no security forces near the mosque on the island of Sitra, where three of those killed had lived.

Maybe the isolationists have given up on persauding the American people and are now trying to get isolation forced on the US. The Romans had their isolationists. But their martial way of life would have to be turned on the citizens if they were isolated.

At the prosaic level the NFL might have to be replaced by more genteel games. Such as basketball. And aggressive imagery in movies and advertising changed to Katie Couric types explaining how wonderful you all are in scenic setting of soft-focus restfulness.

Are you aware of what Obama is doing/saying behind the scenes? If not, what is your opinion about how he's handling the Egyptian crisis in public?

...she asks for the third time...

Did you read the New Yorker article that was posted in the Pick Um thread?

I don't really understand why some posters on this thread are siding with the protesters which is the same thing as overthrowing their governments. I can make a case that such an outcome is in the interests of the protesters and also a case that it is in our interests. But my confidence in either case is not all that high. It's a speculation.

18 February 2011 Last updated at 23:49 GMT

Bahrain protests: King Hamad seeks talks after violence

King Hamad of Bahrain has asked his eldest son, Crown Prince Salman, to start a national dialogue to resolve the Gulf state's political crisis.

The prince, who earlier called on protesters to withdraw from the streets, is authorised to talk to all parties, a statement said.

Troops fired on demonstrators trying to march into the centre of the capital Manama on Friday, wounding at least 50. ...<cont>

18 February 2011 Last updated at 23:17 GMT

Libya protests: Death toll mounts as unrest spreads

Rights groups say there is a rising death toll from clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in Libya.

Amnesty said 43 people had died in protests on Thursday, while other reports suggested dozens more were killed on Friday.

The government has blocked websites and shut off electricity in some areas.

State media outlets have warned of retaliation against anyone criticising Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The mainstay of the unrest is in regional towns and cities, where many people live in poverty.

Foreign journalists operate under restrictions in Libya, so it has been difficult to independently verify much of the information coming out of the country.

But the BBC has confirmed that several websites - including Facebook and al-Jazeera Arabic - have been blocked.

And the airport in Benghazi, the country's second largest city, has been closed, amid reports that protesters have taken it over.

I wonder if anyone here praises or criticizes the US president's response during such a momentous historical, potentially portentous event.

I wonder if anyone here praises or criticizes the US president's response during such a momentous historical, potentially portentous event.

George, yes most of us "credulous observers" are watching & hoping for “good results” in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Libya, etc ... But we are merely very interested observers of these events, not participants. The same as you.
I haven't seen any confident predictions about the outcome of these struggles from any of us, have you?

But what is so "credulous" about hoping that the people risking their lives in these struggles actually do achieve better lives for themselves, free of the poverty & repression they've lived with for years? Why shouldn't we support their struggles for human rights & hope they achieve those goals? The same as we have in Burma, in South Africa under apartheid, the East Timorese fighting for independence from Indonesia?

spendius said:

Quote:

I don't really understand why some posters on this thread are siding with the protesters which is the same thing as overthrowing their governments. I can make a case that such an outcome is in the interests of the protesters and also a case that it is in our interests. But my confidence in either case is not all that high. It's a speculation.

Is this the statement which you thought had some merit, George?

I'm sure a "case" could be made for any number of positions. Like supporting autocratic regimes in the middle east because they're best for "our" interests.

But what do “our” interests have to do with their struggles for self determination, their aspirations for decent lives? Is it reasonable to argue that our interests should override theirs?I don't believe so.