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 FCO …
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
Open Letter to UK FCO Minister Lord Howell on Bahrain and the “Arab Spring”
Saturday, 18th August 2012 Dear Lord Howell, In the light of last week’s jailing of Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, and last nights killing of 16 year-old protester Hussam Al Haddad, I write to you to request clarification of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office position on Bahrain the “Arab Spring”. In particular, I request … Continue reading
Open letter to David Cameron on Bahrain
21st April 2012 Sir, I write to you as British former expatriate in Bahrain, requesting that you urgently reconsider British policy on Bahrain, which I am convinced is deeply misguided and counter to Britain’s long-term interest in the Arabic-speaking region. Yesterday you said “Bahrain is not Syria, there is a process of reform under way … Continue reading
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 Rape of Bahrain Polytechnic
In a gesture of insult to the international higher education community, the Bahrain regime has chosen the anniversary of the University of Bahrain violence to complete its violation of Bahrain Polytechnic, established in 2008 when the Bahrain 2030 Vision still meant something to supply the kind of quality higher education that the criminally incompetent University … Continue reading
Why Bahrain?
Today has proved to be this blog’s most successful day yet in terms of hits, it’s 19.30 GMT here in Sussex, and so far 2,000 people have looked at my blog. Today is the first anniversary of the violent incident on-campus at the University of Bahrain which took place on 13th March 2011, and proved … Continue reading
Bahrain’s internal coup, Iain Lindsay out of his depth
Two items from today’s English language propaganda sheet the Gulf Daily News. The first is today’s front page story, about spending cuts in Bahrain: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=324292 Unelected Khalifa Al Khalifa, at 41 years in office the world’s longest-serving prime minister, apparently “issued directives to downsize official delegations for events which do not require high-level participation”. The high-level meeting … Continue reading
Dr Mike Diboll 