Bahrain, the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom that hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet, used to perceive a need to appear responsive to U.S. concerns about its atrocious human rights record. Five years ago, after President Obama publicly criticized the “mass arrests and brute force” used by the regime to put down popular protests during the Arab Spring, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa commissioned an international investigation and promised to implement a series of reforms. But as Mr. Obama backed away from his support for democratic change in the Middle East, so did Bahrain.
Read the full article here.
Document Type:
Feature:
Issue:
