US gave green light to toxic terror in Bahrain

Bahraini anti-government protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by riot police in Abu Saiba, west of Manama. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/224875.html

Washington has given the green light to unleash “toxic terror” in Bahrain after closing a million-dollar arms sales deal with the Al Khalifa regime, a political analyst says.

“Just as Bahrainis are being poisoned in their homes from indiscriminate firing of massive teargas by regime forces, Washington is showing its approval by going ahead with an arms sales deal to the Persian Gulf kingdom,” Global Research's Middle East and East Africa correspondent, Finian Cunningham said.

Since the beginning of the popular uprising in Bahrain last February, dozens of people have been killed and many more have been injured in the Al Khalifa regime's brutal crackdown on demonstrations.

Last year, under pressure from human rights groups, Washington decided to put on hold the sale of USD 53 million worth of weapons to Bahrain, demanding the Sunni monarchy to endorse democratic reforms.

However, it was revealed last week that the administration of Barack Obama is now moving forward with the deal without any formal notification to the public.

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have stepped up their repression and massively increased the use of tear gas on protesters, which can be deadly among the very young and elderly. Nine people have died over the past two weeks alone.

“Manama is patently a policy of “toxic terrorism” and “collective punishment” against the 70 percent of the population demanding that the Western-backed regime gives way to democratic government,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham says that Bahrain is a classic case study of how Western geopolitical interests are closely aligned with repression and violation of human rights, and how Washington's effort to persuade any regime to enact democratic reforms is a crass delusion.

“The truth is that Washington's oil interests are entwined with repressive regimes in the Persian Gulf and are fundamentally opposed to the cause of democracy in these sheikdoms, “Cunningham added.