SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Renews Military Sales to Bahrain Amid Crackdown
The Obama administration is proceeding with military sales to Bahrain despite the ruling monarchy's ongoing repression of pro-democracy protests. On Friday, the State Department announced it will allow a multi-million dollar weapons shipment to the Bahraini government, citing "national security interests." The announcement came just days after the Bahraini government vowed "tougher action" in its crackdown on protesters.
May 14, 2012
The Obama administration is proceeding with military sales to Bahrain despite the ruling monarchy's ongoing repression of pro-democracy protests. On Friday, the State Department announced it will allow a multi-million dollar weapons shipment to the Bahraini government, citing "national security interests." The announcement came just days after the Bahraini government vowed "tougher action" in its crackdown on protesters. As the United States confirmed the weapons sale, thousands of Bahrainis marched near the capital Manama to call for the release of political prisoners.
Protester: "Of course, our demands in Bahrain, demands of all the people, are the demands of everybody for years -- democracy, change of regime, the release of prisoners. These are demands by everyone else in the world. We want the same things."
In response to the announcement of more weapon sales to Bahrain, the group Human Rights First issued this statement: "The U.S. can be in no doubt about the reality of the repression in Bahrain. Where is the progress that warrants the reward of arms?"
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The Obama administration is proceeding with military sales to Bahrain despite the ruling monarchy's ongoing repression of pro-democracy protests. On Friday, the State Department announced it will allow a multi-million dollar weapons shipment to the Bahraini government, citing "national security interests." The announcement came just days after the Bahraini government vowed "tougher action" in its crackdown on protesters. As the United States confirmed the weapons sale, thousands of Bahrainis marched near the capital Manama to call for the release of political prisoners.
Protester: "Of course, our demands in Bahrain, demands of all the people, are the demands of everybody for years -- democracy, change of regime, the release of prisoners. These are demands by everyone else in the world. We want the same things."
In response to the announcement of more weapon sales to Bahrain, the group Human Rights First issued this statement: "The U.S. can be in no doubt about the reality of the repression in Bahrain. Where is the progress that warrants the reward of arms?"
The Obama administration is proceeding with military sales to Bahrain despite the ruling monarchy's ongoing repression of pro-democracy protests. On Friday, the State Department announced it will allow a multi-million dollar weapons shipment to the Bahraini government, citing "national security interests." The announcement came just days after the Bahraini government vowed "tougher action" in its crackdown on protesters. As the United States confirmed the weapons sale, thousands of Bahrainis marched near the capital Manama to call for the release of political prisoners.
Protester: "Of course, our demands in Bahrain, demands of all the people, are the demands of everybody for years -- democracy, change of regime, the release of prisoners. These are demands by everyone else in the world. We want the same things."
In response to the announcement of more weapon sales to Bahrain, the group Human Rights First issued this statement: "The U.S. can be in no doubt about the reality of the repression in Bahrain. Where is the progress that warrants the reward of arms?"
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.