Bahrain is up to its old tricks again. Just months before a crucial parliamentary election the ruling Sunni minority has decided to clampdown on terrorists and traitors. In a democracy this wouldn't be a bad thing unfortunately for Bahrain it's obvious that their true intentions are too derail the political opposition, which is supported largely by the Shiite majority. The terrorists and traitors who have been soundly rounded up and interrogated include human rights lawyers, political activists and your run of the mill family men with at least one unconfirmed report of a small Shiite parrot being arrested and tried on charges of treason. The pressure being exerted on the opposition has resulted, justifiably, in protest and probably less justifiably in violence. On Monday, a bomb exploded in Manama damaging a number of vehicles while violent unrest in small outlying villages has been regularly reported since 2007. October 23 will be another landmark occasion for the Bahraini political history. However, even after this event the core problems of the country will not disappear. Even though there is a parliament, it hasn't much power and the ruling elite are unlikely to allow Shiite representation in the highest echelons of government any time soon. Bahrain's greatest ally, the United States, a fake democracy if there ever was one, is also unlikely to put pressure on the government to reform for fear of losing their Persian Gulf ally to the evil and nuke loaded Iran. The outlook, like so many other outlooks in the region, looks bleak. Yet there is hope. Not all is lost. Who knows, maybe Sheikh Hamad will have a spark of inspiration and realise that Shiites aren't that much different from Sunnis and allow them some form of representation in the executive. If he does not, it is highly likely that the Shiites will become increasingly agitated and move, on that long horizontal line of ideology, towards extremism. Let's hope Hamad makes the right choice.
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