Event
On October 12, 2017, the commander in Chief of Bahrain Defense Force, Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, welcomed a delegation of US cadets from National Defense University for a Capstone session (BNA, 2017). The meeting was held to review the ties and relations between the US and Bahrain which have been going on for long in history. The meeting was attended by the top leadership of the military of Bahrain including generals, inspectors, and chiefs.
Significance
The presence of US navy base in Bahrain continues to be of importance in the control of security in the Persian Gulf. Since the Arab Spring, Bahrain has continued to fight the extremist agenda even within its borders. The support from the US has also successfully been used in minimizing the uprisings and protests in Manama.
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Analysis
History of Relation
Bahrain remains an essential base for military operations of the US Navy since the 1940s. This relationship between the two countries is based on bilateral defense ties that are focusing on the security of the Middle East (U. S. Department of State, 2017). Signed in 1991, the Defense Cooperation Agreement ensures the right to pre-position materials within Bahrain to control any future crises within the Gulf. The military operations are not the only ties that the US has with Bahrain. It also enjoys diplomatic relations which have seen the American Mission Hospital operational in the country for over a hundred years.
The Gulf Control
The “Arab Spring” of 2011 caused a stir in the Gulf and the Middle East as a whole. Bahrain acted as a primary base of control to extinguish the uprising. As a home to the 5th Fleet of the US Navy, the island served as a major command for military operations in the Middle East. The Bahraini forces have assisted in the coalition operations in Afghanistan and Iran. In fact, Bahrain is the first Arab country ever to hold a Coalition Task Force in the Gulf. The relation was also crucial in the counter-piracy mission. The US has named the state as an ally outside NATO.
The Trump administration was keen on strengthening the traditional ties with Bahrain and authorized a $5 billion sale of 19 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft and other artillery (U. S. Department of State, 2017). The deal was previously withheld with the issues of human rights which made a massive impact on the dissident voices in the Bahrain. This means the arms trade between the two countries is a common tie that makes the US value this relation. This is just one of the many deals that Washington has cut with Manama.
Politics in Bahrain
Bahrain politics revolves around the struggle the government has in controlling the opposition which is resorting to violence to gain power. The majority Sunni rulers have successfully silenced the uprisings which are disguised as social activism which was a significant concern in the Arab Spring. The government banned the operations of the opposition, al-Wefaq, as it was the center of operations for these activities. The connection between the group and al-Qaeda is a thin line that show connections. Thanks to the US, Bahrain has remain steadfast in the operations to minimize these threats. To illustrate this, the Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa revealed that the Trump administration understands the threat that the government faces. This was when it was discovered that Iran was conspiring with the al-Wefaq to overthrow the regime.
The authorities caused a crackdown on the opposition connecting them to terrorists. This ensued after the arrest of Nabeel Rajab, the president of Bahrain Center for Human Rights on the tweets he used to incite the civilians to cause mayhem. In fact, the Obama administrations criticized the means the ruler of Bahrain used to handle the people who purpoted to be activists while in the real sense they were causing uprisings (ADHRB, 2017). To some people, the criticism caused the relations between Washington and Manama to be bleak. The current developments make the Trump administration be admired by the rulers as they support the antiterrorism agenda that Bahrain has. That is the reason behind the arms deal.
Internal Threats
Shifts in president Trump’s administration makes it smoother for the government to carry out its continued crackdown on internal threats as Washington now sees the extent to which such threats have done to neighboring countries like Syria. The lifting of the Jet sale ban makes voluminous words. The Kingdom interpreted this move as a green light continue with its agenda of war against Iran-allied groups. The crushing of Duraz protests two days after the declaration is just an example. The US now concentrates on its relationship with Bahrain, which the Obama administration ignored. The fact is that there is tension between the military and diplomatic relations in the US-Bahrain affair.
Internal stability is important in the prosperity of any country. The government has responded to the uprisings by police applying strict laws, suppressing violent demonstrations and exposing the leaders who incite the public to gain fame and power. The blame saw the expulsion of Tom Malinowski because he secretly met with the al-Wefaq leaders. This caused a stir as the then Secretary of State termed the removal “unacceptable.” But, meeting a group that has been linked to Iranian terrorists is the unacceptable one.
Regional relations
The US, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia have been in tandem with each other until Bahrain cut off its ties with Qatar in June 2017. This has caused the US to be on a stand-off as to decide whether the relationship would continue in Doha or they will cut them to all the other Gulf countries ( Qiblawi eth al., 2017) . What is interesting is the fact that Qatar was linked to financing terrorist activities. It raises questions on whether the fight against terrorism that the US has been carrying out for almost two decades now hold ground as one of its allies is accused on the same ( Gaouette & Starr, 2017) . The US-Bahrain relation has also caused the ties between the country and Iran to be non-existence. Manama accuses Tehran of conspiring to use terrorism to overthrow the government and helping the opposition.
The Coalition Mission that was carried out in Iraq and Syria was with the help of Bahrain forces makes the country to be in a stern anti-extremist relationship with its neighbors. With the help of UAE and Kuwait, the Combined Task Force-152 has maintained maritime security within the Persian Gulf. Iran seems to be the biggest threat to the Gulf as it looks to export its ideology of extremism to overthrow the traditional rule of kingdoms in the Arab countries. The US-Bahrain relation is keen in ensuring the doctrine does not spill into the country. The US 5th navy fleet is an essential base of command in thwarting any attempt of extremism. In this case, the ties are helping to bear fruits to keep Bahrain out of terrorist attacks.
Policy Recommendations
The US-Bahrain relation has a long history, and it is one which has helped the government and the external threats the country faces from terrorism. The protests show that there are some factions within the country which do not agree with the kind of leadership. It is thus imperative that the Bahrain government revise its rule and carry out a dialogue which would include the leaders of the opposition. The reforms should also recognize the difference between human rights activists and extremism as some terrorists disguise as the former. The government should also strengthen its ties with the regional countries to kick out the last strains of extremism in the Gulf with the help of the US troops.
References
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB). (2017). Bahrain: US State Department Documents Decline in Terrorism Last Year, Continued Rights Concerns. Retrieved on October 21 st , 2017 from http://www.adhrb.org/2017/07/bahrain-us-state-department-documents-decline-terrorism-continued-rights-concerns/
Bahrain News Agency | Bahrain-US military cooperation discussed. (2017). Bna.bh. Retrieved 27 October 2017, from http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/805467
Gaouette, N and Starr, B. (2017). CNN Politics: Gulf rift over Qatar could complicate US goals in Mideast. Retrieved on October 21 st, 2017 from http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/05/politics/us-gulf-rift/index.html
Katzman, K. (2017). Bahrain: Reform, security, and US Policy (Vol. 95, No. 1013). Diane Publishing. Retrieved on October 21 st , 2017 from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/95-1013.pdf
Qiblawi, T, Tawfeeq, M, Roberts, E, and Alkhshali, H. (2017). CNN. Qatar rift: Saudi, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt cut diplomatic ties. Retrieved on October 21 st , 2017 from http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/05/middleeast/saudi-bahrain-egypt-uae-qatar-terror/index.html
Reuters. (2017). Trump says ties with Bahrain won't be strained anymore. Retrieved on October 21 st , 2017 from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-saudi-bahrain/trump-says-ties-with-bahrain-wont-be-strained-anymore-idUSKCN18H05Y
Schatz, J, and Cafiero, G. (2017). What Trump Means for U.S.-Bahrain Relations. Lobe Log. Retrieved on October 21 st , 2017 from https://lobelog.com/what-trump-means-for-u-s-bahrain-relations/
Srivastava, S. (2017). CNBC: What the Qatar feud means for the United States. Retrieved on October 21 st , 2017 from https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/06/qatar-saudi-arabia-gcc-united-staes-trump-al-udeid.html
U. S. Department of State. (2017). U. S. Relation with Bahrain: Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Retrieved on October 21 st , 2017 from https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26414.htm
U. S. Department of State. (2017). U. S. Security Cooperation with Bahrain: Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. Retrieved on October 21 st , 2017 from https://www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/fs/2017/266856.htm
