The Arab Agenda

Chapter 4

In 2010 Les Campbell wrote about Party Building in the Middle East where he went on to state "after 16 years working in the field of democracy promotion, 14 of those leading the Middle East and North Africa division of the National Democratic Institute(NDI), it has been my experience that the citizens of the Arab world prefer to be able to choose their leaders" and in a joint working paper Democracy Middle East" wrote "A comprehensive strategy should also incorporate a realistic time frame for the development of true democracy, 20 to 25 years in many cases."

The comparison of Bahrain to Tunisia or Egypt and as a domino in the Arab Spring was a complete failure as Bahrain stands in terms of status on a different note. As an example, Egypt is easier to explain which had drained its population of the nation's wealth.

Bessma Momani wrote: "The Egyptian protesters used their mass weight to push for economic equality, social dignity, and political liberalization. Tunisia, Yemen, Libya and many other Arab countries can be explained by similar circumstances as Egypt. The demonstrations in Bahrain, however, bewilders us to analyze why this country with less than a million people who earn on average $40,000 per year, exceeding the average income of an Austrian citizen, come to Pearl square to voice their discontent. Bahrain is not nearly as corrupt as Egypt or Tunisia. The average Bahraini, Sunni or Shiite, is not poor like the average Egyptian and other Arab brethren. So why do we see thousands of people on the streets of Manama calling for change?"

On the 18th of February 2011, Dean Foster wrote: "The Shiite protesters in Bahrain may have taken to the streets for change, but whether it's democracy they stand for-or something else-remains to be seen. Egypt's revolution truly was about economic opportunity, political justice and democratic reform, in an effort to remedy decades of economic deprivation, political injustice and a ruthless autocracy. Bahrain's protests, although they claim the same mantra, coalesce not around democracy but around religious ideology.

Although the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt certainly represents defined Islamist goals, it fundamentally wanted a seat at the table in a democratic government. The protesters in Bahrain, however, fundamentally want a Shiite-based government to replace the current Sunni-based authority. If it takes a banner of "democracy" to do it, they are saying, "Then raise the banner".

But the goal in Bahrain is not the overthrow of the King and the establishment of a democracy. The goal in Bahrain is the overthrow of the Sunni authority-currently represented by the King and his government-and its replacement by a Shiite government. In some ways, Bahrain mirrors the travails of Iraq more than it does Egypt"

On the 26th of February 2011, Hassan Mushaima an opposition figure with overt links to the political Shiite revolutionists of Iran proved that democracy was not what the uprising stood for and upon his return from exile he exhorted a crowd of thousands of anti-government protesters to continue demonstrating until they achieved a "successful revolution."

Hassan Mushaima – referred to as a "promoter of democracy" decided, without consideration of democratically creating a consensus, to establish the formation of a Coalition for a Republic in Bahrain, similar to that of Iran.

Mushaima declared: "The dictator fell in Tunisia, the dictator fell in Egypt and the dictator should fall here," unfortunately Al Wefaq and other opposition groups did not condemn this action and yet surprisingly we still see today the West engaging with such radicals.

Negotiations between the opposition and the Bahraini Government came to a complete standstill. Hasan Mushaima is one of the opposition leaders in Bahrain and the secretary-general of the Haq Movement.

Before forming Haq, he was a founding member of Al Wefaq and a leading figure in the 1994 uprising in Bahrain.

Bahrain does in fact mirror Iraq in one aspect with the American stance and the pre-planned initiative with the National Democratic Institute as per Clinton's statement that "back when the streets of Arab Cities were quiet, the National Democratic Institute was already on the ground, building relationships, supporting the voices that would turn a long Arab winter into a new Arab Spring".

But that Arab winter which never existed, at least not in Bahrain, never turned into an Arab Spring but into what we now see as a predetermined Arab chaos.