BOOK REVIEW Dr. Davidson’s brilliant and brave “After the Sheikhs” provides Middle East studies with a valuable overview of the gathering crisis in the region, and is a valuable counter-narrative to the “nothing to see, move on now” narrative being promoted by vested interests and an academe that ought to know better. After Bahrain, the … Continue reading »
Filed under Arab Uprisings …
Bahrain Polytechnic: new evidence casts doubt on the rigour of the BICI, and on the credibility of ‘reform’ in Bahrain
Higher Education reform in Bahrain: 2008-2011 ”In failing to differentiate Bahrain Polytechnic’s relationship with the Ministry of Education from the University of Bahrain’s relationship with the Ministry, the BICI have been complicit in the extension of state power into hitherto legally autonomous institutions. I’m sure that this was done unwittingly on the Commissioners’ part, but … Continue reading »
Britain must stop being an abuse facilitator in Bahrain.
Repression in Bahrain has seriously escalated this autumn, with regime hardliners (the usual suspects) seeking to undermine –through leaks to the world media — hitherto behind-the-scenes attempts at dialogue involving moderate regime elements and the mainstream opposition: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/30/blair-aide-bahrain-conflict-resolution Meanwhile, a series of small explosions, two in the village of Ekar in October, and five in … Continue reading »
Open Letter to UK FCO Minister Lord Howell on Bahrain and the “Arab Spring”
Saturday, 18th August 2012 Dear Lord Howell, In the light of last week’s jailing of Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, and last nights killing of 16 year-old protester Hussam Al Haddad, I write to you to request clarification of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office position on Bahrain the “Arab Spring”. In particular, I request … Continue reading »
Voice of Russia: The situation in Bahrain – is the Gulf monarchy serious about political reforms?
VOR London’s James Reinl hosts a debate on the jailed Bahraini hunger-striker, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, and asks whether the Gulf monarchy is serious about political reforms. He was joined by the Bahraini government spokesman, Fahad al-Binali, Rodney Shakespeare, chairman of the Committee against Torture in Bahrain, Mike Diboll, the democracy campaigner, Ben Harris-Quinney, chairman of the … Continue reading »
A gloomy LSE report on the “Arab Spring”: if real change is to happen, is Bahrain key?
As a percentage of population the Bahrain pro-democracy demonstrations have been the best attended of all demonstrations in the Arab World 2011-2012: the key to the success of failure of the “Arab Spring” is in Bahrain and beyond Bahrain, Saudi…. Perhaps a gloomy report on the “Arab Spring” from a recent report from the London … Continue reading »
Bahrain Abuses: where is Abdulhadi Al Khawaja? (Being force-fed?)
Friday, 27th April 2012 Abdulhadi Al Khawaja with his daughter Maryam, who was my student in Postcolonial Literature at the University of Bahrain in 2008. Today’s GDN says that Abdulhadi “tried to” give up taking water. So who stopped him? Where is Abdulhadi Al Khawaja? Evidence from today’s Gulf Daily News, the regime’s English language propaganda … Continue reading »
Mrs. Miranda Diboll’s Letter to Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja
Here’s my wife’s letter to Abdulhadi: http://www.scribd.com/doc/90503395/Mr-Abdulhadi-Al-Khawaja-Letter
(Bahrain) Formula 1: an irrelevance?
Wednesday 18th April The 2012 Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix continues to generate controversy. There are three basic positions on the race, to which I’ll add a fourth: The race is good for Bahrain, bringing in money and uniting the country The race legitimises a repressive regime that has lost legitimacy in the eyes of … Continue reading »
