New tensions mar U.S. optimism on “Arab spring”
Few Washington policymakers had any illusions that the sense of new, if tentative, possibility that greeted the wave of pro-democracy popular uprisings in the Middle East would be free of complications, setbacks and risks.
Still, Washington seemed taken by surprise as long-time ally Saudi Arabia sent 2,000 troops and the United Arab Emirates some 500 police into neighboring Bahrain Monday.
The ostensible purpose of the deployments was to protect “critical infrastructure” amid swelling anti-government protests. Bahrain’s Sunni king further inflamed sectarian tensions there Tuesday, declaring a three-month state of emergency and authorizing security forces to take all necessary measures to quell anti-government protests.
A leader of Bahrain’s largest Shiite opposition party, Wefaq, promptly condemned the declaration of martial law and foreign troop occupation, and called on the international community to intervene. “The army is in control of society now,” Wafeq party politician Jasim Hussein told Reuters. “We condemn this and call on the international community to live up to its responsibilities.”
Notably, the provocative moves by three close U.S. allies came just two days after Defense Secretary Robert Gates held meetings in Bahrain Saturday, in which he reportedly urged Bahrain’s leaders to open a dialogue with opposition groups. According to reports, Gates also gently admonished his audience for taking too modest “baby steps” toward political reform in the country, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s fifth fleet.
As worrying for Washington, Riyadh’s insertion of troops into Bahrain came after Saudi leaders, citing Saudi King Abdullah’s poor health, declined a request for a meeting with him from Gates, who had been expected to travel to Saudi Arabia after Bahrain. Riyadh also reportedly declined a visit from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is currently in Egypt.
Analysts pointed to a growing rift between the U.S. urging Arab allies to undertake political and economic reforms to peacefully meet the deman