US Congressman Refused Access To Bahrain
It’s a shocker even by Bahraini government standards. The regime has now denied access to Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), creating a whole new diplomatic imbroglio a month after it expelled senior State Department official Tom Malinoswki.
Home of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, Bahrain is an officially designated “major non-NATO ally.” But tensions have steadily mounted since the 2011 mass protests for democracy. Washington’s muted criticism of the regime’s violent crackdown has been enough to send the small Gulf kingdom into paroxysms against the U.S. Ambassador, State Department officials, and now a member of Congress.
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Meanwhile Bahrain has opened new diplomatic, military, and trade links with Russia just when Washington is trying to isolate the Kremlin over Ukraine. Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport announced details last week of a new deal with the Bahrain regime.
The U.S. relationship with Bahrain is a mess. On July 31, 18 leading foreign policy specialists—including two of Malinowski’s predecessors—joined to urge Susan Rice to “to convene all relevant interagency officials to conduct a thorough review of the bilateral relationship with Bahrain.”
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/215769-us-congressman-refused-access-to-bahrain#ixzz3BNF3v5Sd
