The leadership of Bahrain has their people open fire on civilians who are protesting, most doing so peacefully,and Obama still tries to play nice with the king. The police are ordered and do attack hospitals where there are protesters being treated, and Obama still keeps the alliance with the king. I'm not saying he has to side with anyone, but if you're going to side with someone, don't side with the king!
This situation isn't like the police in a hostage situation, it's more like a wife beater and his neighbour. The neighbour knows the wife would be better off without her abusive husband but it would be difficult to convince her because she has become dependent on him and he doesn't care enough to take extreme actions to protect her, so he just condemns it and does nothing, it's easier that way.
The US has a lot invested in Bahrain. Besides, the place has always been a lot more progressive and open than all of its neighbors (and also Arabia's last chance liquor store; important if you're working in the region). Are these protesters actually concerned with democratic reform are they planning to use democratic reform to put their society right back into the middle ages? I'd hesitate to take a side too because we (the USA) have the bad reputation of referring to terrible murderers as "freedom fighters" and perfectly reasonable regimes as "the evil empire" only to find out later we should have just left well enough alone...
>>3
Supporting a lesser evil in the fight against a greater evil is totally logically and ethically justified in every respect. It is irresponsible to be unrealistic because after it's all over all that will matter are the ends, not the means by which they were achieved.
>>4
Dude, we're the country that supported the Nicaraguan contras, Savimbi, Pinochet, and Franco. We invaded Vietnam despite its complete lack of strategic value, aided the very same Mujahidin that would turn around and bomb us in both Kenya and here at home, and then we invaded Iraq for no particular reason. What makes you think we're capable of recognizing evil?
Everything we try to support or fix turns out being a greater hell than it was before or would have been if just left alone. You see why we should hesitate.
DVD of "THE COVE" is being distributed free of charge in Sea Shepherd now.
Please contact the application method each mail address described in following URL.
http://www.seashepherd.org/contact/general-public.html
Sea Shepherd has already begun serving in Japan and each country.
You also must apply.
The strongest adult bulletin board in Japan
http://www.y-bbs.net/