US Ally Bahrain Imprisons Activist, Mainstream Media Notes It Quietly
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a prominent Bahraini activist, is on hunger strike again, protesting his indefinite detention. The Independent covers it with polite concern, failing to highlight that Bahrain, a US ally and host to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, maintains its repressive grip largely due to unwavering American support. This isn't just about a 'protest'; it's about a regime, armed and funded by
the West, crushing dissent. While the US State Department issues mild condemnations, the arms sales continue. For instance, the US approved over $5 billion in arms sales to Bahrain in the last decade, including F-16 fighter jets and missile systems (Defense Security Cooperation Agency, various press releases). How much 'concern' can one have when you're literally arming the oppressive state? It
always seems that when a US 'partner' commits abuses, it’s a regrettable internal matter, unlike when an 'adversary' so much as frowns. One wonders if a hunger strike might be more effective if it occurred in, say, Venezuela.