It 's a difficult obstacle course that the administration of Barack Obama is following in those hours. The riots in the Middle East into question decades of American foreign policy and open scenarios currently not easily predictable. "The United States condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters," said Obama, while protests, accidents, deaths take to the streets of Libya, Yemen, Bahrain.
Apart from the official condemnation, but the administration is growing concern for American interests in the area, and now two lines are delineated on what attitude to take in the coming weeks. E 'in Bahrain at this time to worry about than the White House. The small monarchy in the middle of the Persian Gulf (one million two hundred thousand inhabitants), ruled by the Al Khalifa family since 1783, is an essential piece for American policy.
Here hosts the Fifth Fleet U.S. Naval. From here starts an attack on Iran (called, among other things, by the rulers of Bahrain. Wikileaks The files, last November, have indicated the request of King Hamad to the U.S. to "stop, by any means, Iran's nuclear program "). E 'was precisely the strategic alliance with the monarchy Al Khalifa to shut more than one eye on the U.S.
government. When, last summer, two dozen Shiite activists were arrested in the capital Manama, and a human rights group was disbanded by the government, the United States did not react. Indeed. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a visit in December, praised the government of Bahrain for "its progress on all fronts," and dismissed the arrest of political opponents as "a glass half full.
The protests in Manama, the intervention of the army who opened fire on peaceful demonstrators while they were sleeping, camping in the central square of the Pearl, it changes things. Last night Barack Obama has called King Hamad and again asked to "refrain from firing on the demonstrators." A request that must have had its effect, as the army, in the final hours, he retired from Manama.
But sources within the administration, cited by the Washington Post, Obama reveal a torn, unsure what to do. On the one hand "the fall of Bahrain would be a disaster for the United States," explains one White House official, and then the sake of realism would encourage the administration to not download the Al Khalifa dynasty.
Second, the president is leaning more and more decided the Iranian opposition. This week Obama has pushed even to demand that the opposition take to the streets of Tehran: Young Iran - he said - must come together to express their aspiration to freedom. " It's difficult to support countries facing enemies - Iran, Libya and Syria as well - and remain neutral toward those of friendly countries: Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan.
The double track would expose the White House to the charge of hypocrisy and cynicism. Hence Obama's recent speeches in favor of respecting the rights of protesters throughout the Arab world and the Middle East, which are, however, raised many concerns in some sectors of the administration.
It is no secret that the Department of State, Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the old nomenclature of the Democratic Party are reluctant to openly support movements that threaten established balances. This line is opposed by the "young lions" of the administration, the political class of forty emerging from Harvard and Yale, and entered politics with Barack Obama: the deputy national security adviser, Denis McDonough, the human rights activist Samantha Power , Benjamin J.
Rhodes, the author of "speech in Cairo," the president in June 2009. Their strong support to the demands of democratic movements was so far successful: in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere. The threat of irreparable damage to American influence in the area, however, could lead Obama to attenuate that support U.S.
policy and return the most experienced on the trails of realpolitik. 
Apart from the official condemnation, but the administration is growing concern for American interests in the area, and now two lines are delineated on what attitude to take in the coming weeks. E 'in Bahrain at this time to worry about than the White House. The small monarchy in the middle of the Persian Gulf (one million two hundred thousand inhabitants), ruled by the Al Khalifa family since 1783, is an essential piece for American policy.
Here hosts the Fifth Fleet U.S. Naval. From here starts an attack on Iran (called, among other things, by the rulers of Bahrain. Wikileaks The files, last November, have indicated the request of King Hamad to the U.S. to "stop, by any means, Iran's nuclear program "). E 'was precisely the strategic alliance with the monarchy Al Khalifa to shut more than one eye on the U.S.
government. When, last summer, two dozen Shiite activists were arrested in the capital Manama, and a human rights group was disbanded by the government, the United States did not react. Indeed. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a visit in December, praised the government of Bahrain for "its progress on all fronts," and dismissed the arrest of political opponents as "a glass half full.
The protests in Manama, the intervention of the army who opened fire on peaceful demonstrators while they were sleeping, camping in the central square of the Pearl, it changes things. Last night Barack Obama has called King Hamad and again asked to "refrain from firing on the demonstrators." A request that must have had its effect, as the army, in the final hours, he retired from Manama.
But sources within the administration, cited by the Washington Post, Obama reveal a torn, unsure what to do. On the one hand "the fall of Bahrain would be a disaster for the United States," explains one White House official, and then the sake of realism would encourage the administration to not download the Al Khalifa dynasty.
Second, the president is leaning more and more decided the Iranian opposition. This week Obama has pushed even to demand that the opposition take to the streets of Tehran: Young Iran - he said - must come together to express their aspiration to freedom. " It's difficult to support countries facing enemies - Iran, Libya and Syria as well - and remain neutral toward those of friendly countries: Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan.
The double track would expose the White House to the charge of hypocrisy and cynicism. Hence Obama's recent speeches in favor of respecting the rights of protesters throughout the Arab world and the Middle East, which are, however, raised many concerns in some sectors of the administration.
It is no secret that the Department of State, Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the old nomenclature of the Democratic Party are reluctant to openly support movements that threaten established balances. This line is opposed by the "young lions" of the administration, the political class of forty emerging from Harvard and Yale, and entered politics with Barack Obama: the deputy national security adviser, Denis McDonough, the human rights activist Samantha Power , Benjamin J.
Rhodes, the author of "speech in Cairo," the president in June 2009. Their strong support to the demands of democratic movements was so far successful: in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere. The threat of irreparable damage to American influence in the area, however, could lead Obama to attenuate that support U.S.
policy and return the most experienced on the trails of realpolitik.
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