Saudis Enter Bahrain to Defend Against Growing Demonstrations
Fearing that unrest in Bahrain could threaten their own kingdoms, leaders in the Middle East have sent a military force into the country to quell unrest there.
In an effort to quell demonstrations that are growing in Bahrain, a Saudi-led military force moved into the region. The demonstrations themselves have nations in the region worried that Iran will increase its influence in the region and in their own countries. Bahrain, which has a Shiite majority, is in the throes of demonstrations that would see the country move away from over two hundred years of rule by a Sunni monarchy. In all, about 1,000 troops entered Bahrain by land and air.
The current Sunni rulers of Bahrain are strategically important U.S. allies and the country also is host to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. As soon as they learned of the foreign incursion into their country, protestors in Bahrain blocked roads that led into the capital city of Manama. Others gathered in Pearl Square, which has served as the de facto base of the ongoing demonstrations.
In the symbolic square, demonstrators chanted "No to occupation" and others warned that the Saudi invasion was pushing the small island nation toward a state of "undeclared war." Other leaders in the area, however, see a toppling of Bahrain’s ruling party as a threat to their own kingdoms. Noted Sami Alfaraj, director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies, "The Gulf leaders have tried to legitimize this. They portray it not as intervention in an internal Bahrain dispute, but rather as an action against an external threat. Bahrain is the arena for the worries about Iran." It will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds in the coming days.
The current Sunni rulers of Bahrain are strategically important U.S. allies and the country also is host to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. As soon as they learned of the foreign incursion into their country, protestors in Bahrain blocked roads that led into the capital city of Manama. Others gathered in Pearl Square, which has served as the de facto base of the ongoing demonstrations.
In the symbolic square, demonstrators chanted "No to occupation" and others warned that the Saudi invasion was pushing the small island nation toward a state of "undeclared war." Other leaders in the area, however, see a toppling of Bahrain’s ruling party as a threat to their own kingdoms. Noted Sami Alfaraj, director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies, "The Gulf leaders have tried to legitimize this. They portray it not as intervention in an internal Bahrain dispute, but rather as an action against an external threat. Bahrain is the arena for the worries about Iran." It will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds in the coming days.
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