27th Feb 2013 –
Notwithstanding our usual great respect for the work of the Carnegie Endowment; Carnegie’s Frederic Wehrey seems to be spearheading a one-man campaign to change US political thinking on Bahrain.
We find Wehrey writing a series of articles and reports and sitting alongside opposition figures in public debates – repeatedly urging America to remove their Fifth Fleet from Bahraini waters. Why?
Firstly he talks about growing “anti-Americanism”, which he says risks “damaging American legitimacy and jeopardizing US interests”.
Secondly; Wehrey expounds on his pet conspiracy theory that an out-of-control branch of the Bahraini Royal Family has marginalized the King and is responsible for propagating these anti-Western and anti-American views; as well as blaming them for stifling the National Dialogue and reconciliation efforts.
We would argue that Wehrey’s arguments are ridiculous on several counts:
1) If you go anywhere in the Arab world you will find anti-American views expressed in copious quantities; usually in the context of support for Israel and the Iraq war. However, Bahrain is remarkably pro-Western; as thousands of expatriate Americans can testify. Furthermore, Bahrain’s society is one of the most tolerant and open in the region: Women don’t need to cover up; Western films and fashions are all the rage in the country; and Americans will generally find Bahrain a much more amenable and friendly environment than almost anywhere else in the region.
2) Many of the expressions of concern at US “interference” came early on in the 2011 crisis in response to a few ill-judged statements by US officials. It’s difficult to argue that this amounts to a fundamental shift in Bahraini attitudes to everything the US stands for.
3) It is quietly taken for granted that Bahrain is greatly indebted to the US naval presence. With Iran’s leaders periodically calling for Bahrain’s annexation, it’s difficult to imagine that Bahrain’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would have remained in-tact since independence without regional and international defence agreements. This includes the willingness of the US to sell Bahrain the military materials it needs in order to enjoy its UN-enshrined right to self-defence. Educated and right-thinking Bahrainis recognize this reality and are grateful to our allies.
4) Empty vessels make the most noise. It is relatively easy to find extremist and unbalanced figures who have made anti-Western public statements anywhere in this part of the world. In Bahrain such figures are generally accorded the ridicule due to them and they should not be seen as reflective of Bahraini views at large.
5) According to Wehrey, the two royal family members responsible for propagating anti-Western views are the Royal Court Minister and the Commander in Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force. The latter is necessarily in continual contact with Western allies due to the close naval ties Bahrain enjoys. Diplomats from these states will be able to testify the excellent relations they enjoy with both these Ministers. All those who know these prominent figures see Wehrey’s allegations as frankly bizarre.
6) Wehrey fails to provide a single statement or quote by these Bahraini officials backing up their alleged anti-Americanism. Instead he uses an example of the promotion of Sameera Rajab to Information Minister; calling her a hardliner who has made anti-Shia statements. Unfortunately for Wehrey, he did not realize that Sameera is herself Shia.
7) Wehrey ignores the anti-Western attitudes commonly expressed by Bahrain’s opposition. We just have to look at Ayatollah Isa Qassim’s calls of “Death to America… death to the Great Satan” in his sermons (here is just one example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP-JAjVsxd4) – not only showing rabid anti-Americanism, but also the dominant influence of his Iranian paymasters. Does the US really want to sit back and watch a replay of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Bahrain?
8) If you read deep into the report, Wehrey himself eventually concedes that there is no other realistic location for the Fifth Fleet, but he incoherently argues that the US should threaten Bahrain with such a move anyway, as a means of threatening the leadership. Let’s hope that no senior US officials would give any serious thought to making such self-obviously ridiculous threats to a Bahraini leadership which has already begun engaging the opposition in dialogue – despite the same opposition refusing to condemn the violent and terrorist tactics being used every week by rioters.
In short, Frederic Wehrey seems determined to sell his assortment of conspiracy theories to US policy-makers without having a shred of evidence to back them up. Unfortunately, a Wall Street Journal correspondent listened to Wehrey speaking recently and went away and wrote a very extensive (but completely non-evidence-based) article on this imaginary plot by hardliners within the royal family seeking to ruin relations with Western allies. The British Independent newspaper stole the story from the Wall Street Journal and suddenly this tissue of lies and rumours is all over the Internet.
We hope that US and Western policy officials are wiser than this and value the excellent diplomatic and strategic relations they enjoy with Bahrain. Bahrain has always been and will always be a small oasis of tolerance and openness in a troubled and illiberal region. Bahrainis are proud of their Constitutional Monarchy and all of us support efforts towards reform. Let’s hope that those who want to learn about Bahrain take the time to come and visit us and enjoy the best that this island can offer – rather than believing everything they read in the darker recesses of the Internet.