Dear Readers, I’m back here on my blog again after some eighteen months away. So, why my silence of the past year and a half? I’ll be frank: in large part it has been necessary to take a break from blogging on Bahrain for me to overcome the mental illnesses — PTSD and Major Depressive … Continue reading
Filed under Bahrain violence …
Chris Davidson’s “After the Sheikhs: the Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies”: profound implications for foreign policy and for academia.
BOOK REVIEW Dr. Davidson’s brilliant and brave “After the Sheikhs” provides Middle East studies with a valuable overview of the gathering crisis in the region, and is a valuable counter-narrative to the “nothing to see, move on now” narrative being promoted by vested interests and an academe that ought to know better. After Bahrain, the … Continue reading
Britain must stop being an abuse facilitator in Bahrain.
Repression in Bahrain has seriously escalated this autumn, with regime hardliners (the usual suspects) seeking to undermine –through leaks to the world media — hitherto behind-the-scenes attempts at dialogue involving moderate regime elements and the mainstream opposition: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/30/blair-aide-bahrain-conflict-resolution Meanwhile, a series of small explosions, two in the village of Ekar in October, and five in … Continue reading
(Bahrain) Formula 1: an irrelevance?
Wednesday 18th April The 2012 Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix continues to generate controversy. There are three basic positions on the race, to which I’ll add a fourth: The race is good for Bahrain, bringing in money and uniting the country The race legitimises a repressive regime that has lost legitimacy in the eyes of … Continue reading
John Yates: policing Arab apartheid
Open Letter to King Hamad: Al Khawaja’s death would be a stain on Bahrain; please add your signature!
An open letter to King Hamad signed by Lord Avebury, British MPs, human rights organisations, and academics with expertise in the Middle East, including myself. This will be handed in to the Bahrain embassy in London at the end of the working day on Tuesday 10th April. Anyone wishing to add a signature can do … Continue reading
Hard Lessons in Bahrain: Mike Diboll in the Chronicle of Higher Education
My article on my experiences in Bahrain education reform, culminating with the events of 13th March 2011, has just been published on line and in print in the Review section of the Washington DC-based Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle is the world’s leading news medium for higher education. Utne described the award-winning Chronicle Review as “a fearless, free-thinking section … Continue reading
The Future of Higher Education in Bahrain: tortured, abused, abandoned trussed up half-naked in a lock-up
Regarding my recent piece “The Rape of Bahrain Polytechnic”, two interesting responses were posted by “Nick A. Harr” and “Virtual Hub”. As a proponent of openness, I do not usually respond in-depth to individuals who use pseudonyms rather than give their real names when they are in no apparent danger. However, since these two responses … Continue reading
A General Amnesty for 13th March 2011: a way forward for Bahrain higher education?
Monday 19th March 2012 sees the resumption of the retrial of the University of Bahrain students sentenced to prison terms of up to 15 years for alleged crimes in relation to the 13th March 2011 incident. These young men must be freed if meaningful higher education has a future in Bahrain. This post suggests a … Continue reading
risaalatiy al maftoo7ah lir-ra2iys jaami3at l-ba7rayn ebraahim l-janaa7iy
الدكتور مايك ديبول على مدى الأيام الثلاثة الماضية، قرأ 6,500 بحريني الرسالةَ المفتوحة التي كتبتُها إلى رئيس جامعة البحرين إبراهيم رسالتي المؤرخة في مارس/آذار 2012 هي: سيدي، إنني أكتب إليكم في الذكرى السنوية الأولى لأحداث العنف التي وقعت يوم 13 مارس/آذار 2011 في الحرم الجامعي بالصخير التابع لجامعة البحرين. وقد لجأت للكتابة إليكم علنا عبر … Continue reading
Dr Mike Diboll 